LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

y 

Class 


7  '  ^  i  rf  .. 


^.  r  1  ,     tfit'    t 


AMERICA 


AND 


HER    COMMENTATORS 


WITH   A   CRITICAL   SKETCH   OF 


TRAVEL  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


BY 

HENRY   T.  TUCKERMAN. 


Here  the  free  spirit  of  mankind,  at  length 
Throws  its  last  fetters  off:  and  who  shall  place 

A  limit  to  the  giant's  unchained  strength, 
Or  curb  his  swiftness  in  the  forward  race  ? 


For  thou,  my  country,  thou  shall  never  fall, 
Save  with  thy  children: — 

Who  shall  then  declare 

The  date  of  thy  deep-foun,»ed  strength,  or  tell 
How  happy,  in  thy  lap.  the  sons  of  men  shall  d^ell  ? 

BRYANT:  The  Ages. 


CFTHE 

UNIVERSITY  ]j 

OF 
£4LfF 

^**^..itt.;..-.,vv^^ 

NEW    YORK: 
CHARLES   SCRIBNER,  124   GRAND   STREET 

1864. 
LONDON :  S.  LOW,  SON  &  COMPANY, 


ENTERED,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1864.  by 
HENEY  T.   TUCKEEMAN, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern  District 
of  New  York. 


JOHN   P.   TROW, 
PRINTER,  STEREOTYPER,  AND  ELECTROTYPKH, 

46,  48,  &  50  Greene  St.,  New  York. 


.6" 


PEEPACE. 


THE  object  of  this  work  is  twofold — to  present  a  gen 
eral  view  of  the  traits  and  transitions  of  our  country,  as 
recorded  at  different  periods  and  by  writers  of  various 
nationalities;  and  to  afford  those  desirous  of  authentic 
information  in  regard  to  the  United  States  a  guide  to  the 
sources  thereof.  Incidental  to  and  naturally  growing  out 
of  this  purpose,  is  the  discussion  of  the  comparative  value 
and  interest  of  the  principal  critics  of  our  civilization. 
The  present  seems  a  favorable  time  for  such  a  retrospective 
review ;  and  the  need  of  popular  enlightenment,  both  at 
home  and  abroad,  as  to  the  past  development  and  present 
condition  of  this  Republic,  is  universally  acknowledged. 
There  are  special  and  obvious  advantages  in  reverting  to 
the  past  and  examining  the  present,  through  the  medium 
of  the  literature  of  American  Travel.  It  affords  striking 
contrasts,  offers  different  points  of  view,  and  is  the  more 
suggestive  because  modified  by  national  tastes.  We  can 
thus  trace  physical  and  social  development,  normal  and 
casual  traits,  through  personal  impressions ;  and  are  un 
consciously  put  on  the  track  of  honest  investigation,  made 
to  realize  familiar  tendencies  under  new  aspects,  and,  from 
the  variety  of  evidence,  infer  true  estimates.  Moreover, 
some  of  these  raconteurs  are  interesting  characters  either 


IV  PREFACE. 

in  an  historical  or  literary  point  of  view,  and  form  an 
attractive  biographical  study.  In  a  work  intended  to 
suggest  rather  than  exhaust  a  subject  so  extensive,  it  has 
been  requisite  to  dismiss  briefly  many  books  which,  in 
themselves,  deserve  special  consideration  ;  but  whose 
scope  is  too  identical  with  other  and  similar  volumes  de 
scribed  at  length,  to  need  the  same  full  examination.  It 
is  not  always  the  specific  merits  of  an  author,  but  the 
contrast  he  offers  or  the  circumstances  under  which  he 
writes,  that  have  induced  what  might  otherwise  seem  too 
elaborate  a  discussion  of  his  claims.  In  a  word,  variety 
of  subject  and  rarity  of  material  have  been  kept  in  view, 
with  reference  both  to  the  space  awarded  and  the  extracts 
given.  The  design  of  the  work  might,  indeed,  have  been 
indefinitely  extended ;  but  economy  and  suggestiveness 
have  been  chiefiy  considered. 

Many  of  the  works  discussed  are  inaccessible  to  the 
general  reader ;  others  are  prolix,  and  would  not  reward 
a  consecutive  perusal,  though  worthy  a  brief  analysis ; 
while  not  a  few  are  too  superficial,  and  yield  amusement 
only  when  the  grains  of  wit  or  wisdom  are  separated 
from  the  predominant  chaff.  Ifris  for  these  reasons,  and 
in  the  hope  of  vindicating  as  well  as  illustrating  the 
claims  and  character  of  our  outraged  nationality,  that  I 
have  prepared  this  inadequate,  but,  I  trust,  not  wholly 
unsatisfactory  critical  sketch  of  Travel  in  the  United 
States.  Those  who  desire  to  examine  minutely  the  his 
torical  aspects  of  the  prolific  theme,  will  find,  in  the 
"  Bibliotheca  Americana "  of  Rich,  a  catalogue  of  an 
cient  works  full  of  interest  to  the  philosophical  student. 
Another  valuable  list  is  contained  in  "  Historical  Nug 
gets,"  a  descriptive  account  of  rare  books  relating  to 
America,  by  Henry  Stevens  (2  vols.,  London,  1853) ;  and 
the  proposed  "  American  Bibliographer's  Manual,"  a  dic 
tionary  of  all  works  relating  to  America,  by  Joseph 


PEEFACE.  V 

Sabin,  of  Philadelphia,  will,  if  executed  with  the  care 
and  completeness  promised,  supersede  all  other  manuals, 
and  prove  of  great  utility.  No  fact  is  more  indicative  of 
the  increased  interest  in  all  that  relates  to  our  country, 
than  the  demand  for  the  earlier  records  of  its  life,  prod 
ucts,  arid  history  ;  *  while  the  foreign  bibliography  of  the 
war  for  the  Union,  and  the  American  record  and  discus 
sions  thereof,  have  been  already  collected  or  are  in  process 
of  collection  under  Government  auspices.f 

*  "  If  the  price  of  old  books  anent  America,  whether  native  or  foreign, 
should  continue  to  augment  in  value  in  the  same  ratio  as  they  have  done  for 
the  last  thirty  years,  their  prices  must  become  fabulous,  or,  rather,  like  the 
books  of  the  Sibyls,  rise  above  all  valuation.  In  the  early  part  of  the  pres 
ent  century,  the  "  Bay  Hymn  Book  "  (the  first  book  printed  in  North  Amer 
ica),  then  an  exceedingly  rare  book,  no  one  would  have  supposed  would  bring 
$100  ;  now,  a  copy  was  lately  sold  for  nearly  $600,  and  a  perfect  copy,  at  this 
time,  would  bring  $1,000.  Eliot's  "  Grammar  of  the  Indian  Tongues  "  was 
lately  sold  for  $160 — a  small  tract.  The  same  author's  version  of  the  Scriptures 
into  the  Indian  language  could  be  purchased,  fifty  years  ago,  for  $50  ;  now  it  is 
worth  $500.  For  Cotton  Mather's  "  Magnalia  Christi  Americana,"  $6  was  then 
thought  a  good  price  ;  now,  $50  is  thought  cheap  for  a  good  copy.  Smith's 
"  History  of  Virginia,"  $30  ;  now  $75.  Stith's  "  History  of  Virginia,"  then 
$5,  now  $20.  Smith's  "  History  of  New  Jersey,"  then  $2,  now  $20.  Thomas's 
"  History  of  Printing,"  then  $2,  now  $15.  Denton's  "  History  of  New  Neth 
erlands,"  $5,  now  $50.  These  are  but  a  few  out  of  many  hundreds  that 
could  be  named,  that  have  risen  from  trifling  to  extraordinary  prices,  in  the 
short  space  of  half  a  century." —  Western  Memorabilia. 

\  "  The  importance  of  this  subject  has  been  more  directly  brought  to  our 
notice  in  the  examination  of  the  foundation  of  a  "  Collection  of  European 
Opinion  upon  the  War,"  now  before  Congress  for  the  use  of  the  members,  and 
to  be  deposited  in  the  Congress  Library.  This  desirable  collection  is  to  com 
prise  the  various  pamphlets,  speeches,  debates,  and  brochures  of  all  kinds 
that  have  appeared  in  reference  to  the  war,  from  the  attack  on  Fort  Sumter  to 
the  present  day,  and  to  be  continued  to  the  end  of  the  struggle.  We  have 
the  leading  editorials,  arranged  with  great  care  in  chronological  order,  from 
the  most  powerful  representatives  of  the  public  press  in  England,  France, 
Germany,  &c. ;  also,  the  correspondence  from  both  armies  in  the  field,  of  the 
special  agents  sent  for  that  purpose.  The  various  opinions  expressed  by  emi 
nent  military  and  naval  writers  upon  our  new  inventions  in  the  art  of  war  will 
well  deserve  study ;  and  the  horoscope  of  the  future,  not  only  in  our  own 
country,  but  in  its  influences  upon  the  welfare  of  the  Old  World,  should  be 
carefully  pondered  over  by  all  political  economists." — National  Intelligencer. 


vi  PREFACE. 

Numerous  as  are  the  books  of  travel  in  and  commen 
taries  on  America — ranging  from  the  most  shallow  to  the 
most  profound,  from  the  crude  to  the  artistic,  from  the 
instructive  to  the  impertinent — so  far  is  the  subject  from 
being  exhausted,  that  we  seem  but  now  to  have  a  clear 
view  of  the  materials  for  judgment,  description,  and 
analysis.  It  required  the  genius  of  modern  communica 
tion,  the  scientific  progress,  the  humane  enterprise,  the 
historical  development,  and  the  social  inspiration  of  our 
own  day,  to  appreciate  the  problems  which  events  will 
solve  on  this  continent ;  to  understand  the  tendencies, 
record  the  phenomena,  define  the  influences  and  traits, 
and  realize  the  natural,  moral,  and  political  character  and 
destiny  of  America. 

NEW  YORK,  March,  1864. 


CONTENTS 


PAGB 

INTRODUCTION..  1 


CHAPTER  I. 
EARLY  DISCOVERERS  AND  EXPLORERS 13 

CHAPTER  II. 

FRENCH   MISSIONARY  EXPLORATION. 

Hennepin ;  Menard ;  Allouez ;  Marquette ;  Charlevoix ;  Marest ;  etc. ...       37 
CHAPTER  III. 

FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND  WRITERS. 

Chastellux ;  L'Abbe  Robin ;  Duche ;  Brissot  de  Warville  ;  Crevecceur ; 

La  Rochefoucauld-Liancourt ;  Volney ;  Raynal 58 

CHAPTER  IV. 

FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND  WRITERS — Continued. 

Rochambeau;  Talleyrand;  Segur;  Chateaubriand;  Michaux;  Murat; 
Brillat-Savarin ;  De  Tocqueville ;  De  Beaumont ;  Ampere ;  Lafayette ; 
Fisch ;  De  Gasparin ;  Officers ;  Laboulaye,  etc 110 

CHAPTER  Y. 

BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS. 

Berkeley ;  McSparran ;  Mrs.  Grant ;  Burnaby ;  Rogers ;  Burke ;  Doug 
lass  ;  Henry ;  Eddis ;  Anbury ;  Smythe 156 


Vlll 


CHAPTER  VI. 

BRITISH    TRAVELLERS    AND  WRITERS  —  Continued. 

PAGB 

Wansey  ;  Cooper  ;  Wilson  ;  .  Davis  ;  Ashe  ;  .  Bristed  ;  Kendall  ;  Weld  ; 
Cobbett  ;  Campbell  ;  Byron  ;  Moore  ;  Mrs.  Wakefield  ;  Hodgson  ; 
Janson;  Caswell;  Holmes  and  others;  Hall;  Fearon;  Fiddler; 
Lyell  ;  Featherstonaugh  ;  Combe  ;  Female  Writers  ;  Dickens  ; 
Faux  ;  Hamilton  ;  Parkinson  ;  Mrs.  Trollope  ;  Grattan  ;  Lord 
Carlisle  ;  Anthony  Trollope  ;  Prentice  ;  Stirling  .................  193 

CHAPTER  YII. 
ENGLISH  ABUSE  OF  AMERICA  ...................................  .  .     252 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

NORTHERN  EUROPEAN  WRITERS. 

Kalm  ;  Miss  Bremer  ;  Gurowski,  and  others  ;  German  Writers  :  Saxe- 
Weimar;  Von  Raumer;  Prince  Maximilian  Von  Wied;  Lieber; 
Schultz.  Other  German  Writers  :  Grund  ;  Ruppius  ;  Seatsfield  ; 
Kohl;  Talvi;  Schaff  ........................................  293 

CHAPTER  IX. 

ITALIAN   TRAVELLERS. 

National  Relations  ;  Verrazzano  ;  Castiglione  ;  D'Allessandro  ;  Capobian- 

co  ;  Salvatore  Abbate  e  Migliori  ;  Pisani  .......................     334 

CHAPTER  X. 

AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS. 

John  and  William  Bartram  ;  Madame  Knight  ;  Ledyard  ;  Carver  ;  Jef 
ferson  ;  Imlay  ;  Dwight  ;  Coxe  ;  Ingersoll  ;  Walsh  ;  '  Paulding  ; 
Flint;  Clinton;  Hall;  Tudor;  Wirt;  Cooper;  Hoffman;  Olmsted; 
Bryant  ;  Government  Explorations  ;  Washington  ;  Mrs.  Kirkland  ; 
Irving.  American  Illustrative  Literature:  Biography;  History; 
Manuals  ;  Oratory  ;  Romance  ;  Poetry.  Local  Pictures  :  Everett, 
Hawthorne,  Channing,  etc  ...................................  371 

CHAPTER  XI. 
CONCLUSION  ...................................................     438 

INDEX  .  .  451 


ISTTKODUCTION. 


La  Terre,  says  Fontenelle,  est  ime  vieitte  coquette.  While 
in  so  many  branches  of  authorship  the  interest  of  books  is 
superseded  by  new  discoveries  in  science  and  superior  art  and 
knowledge,  honest  and  intelligent  books  of  travel  preserve 
their  use  and  charm,  because  they  describe  places  and  people 
as  they  were  at  distinct  epochs,  and  confirm  or  dissipate  sub 
sequent  theories.  The  point  of  view  adopted,  the  kind  of 
sympathy  awakened,  the  time  and  the  character  of  the  writer 
— each  or  all  give  individuality  to  such  works,  when  inspired 
by  genuine  observation,  which  renders  them  attractive  as  a 
reference  and  a  memorial,  and  for  purposes  of  comparison  if 
not  of  absolute  interest.  Moreover  the  early  travellers,  or 
rather  those  who  first  record  their  personal  experience  of  a 
country,  naturally  describe  it  in  detail,  and  put  on  record 
their  impressions  with  a  candor  rarely  afterward  imitated, 
because  of  that  desire  to  avoid  a  beaten  path  which  later 
writers  feel.  Hence,  the  most  familiar  traits  and  scenes  are 
apt  to  be  less  dwelt  upon,  the  oftener  they  are  described ; 
and,  for  a  complete  and  naive  account,  we  must  revert  to 
primitive  travels,  whose  quaintness  and  candor  often  atone 
for  any  incongruities  of  style  or  old-fashioned  prolixity. 

A  country  that  is  at  all  suggestive,  either  through  associa 
tion  or  intrinsic  resources,  makes  a  constant  appeal  to  genius, 
to  science,  arid  to  sympathy ;  and  offers,  under  each  of  these 
1 


2  INTRODUCTION. 

aspects,  an  infinite  variety.  Arthur  Young's  account  of 
France,  just  before  the  Revolution,  cannot  be  superseded ; 
Lady  Montagu's  account  of  Turkey  is  still  one  of  the  most 
complete  ;  and  Dr.  Moore's  Italy  is  a  picture  of  manners  and 
morals  of  permanent  interest,  because  of  its  contrast  with  the 
existent  state  of  things.  Indeed,  that  beautiful  and  unfortu 
nate  but  regenerated  land  has  long  been  so  congenial  a  theme 
for  scholars,  and  so  attractive  a  nucleus  for  sentiment,  that 
around  its  monuments  and  life  the  gifted  and  eager  souls  of 
all  nations,  have  delighted  to  throw  the  expression  of  their 
conscious  personality,  from  morbid  and  melancholy  Byron  to 
intellectual  and  impassioned  De  Stae'l,  from  Hans  Andersen, 
the  humane  and  fanciful  Dane,  to  Hawthorne,  the  intro 
spective  New  Englander.  What  Italy  has  been  and  is  to 
the  unappropriated  sentiment  of  authors,  America  has  been 
and  is  to  unorganized  political  aspirations  :  if  the  one  country 
has  given  birth  to  unlimited  poetical,  the  other  has  suggest 
ed  a  vast  amount  of  philosophical  speculation.  Brissot,  Cob- 
bett,  and  De  Tocqueville  found  in  the  one  country  as  genial 
a  subject  as  Goethe,  Rogers,  and  Lady  Morgan  in  the  other ; 
and  while  the  latter  offers  a  permanent  background  of  art  and 
antiquity,  which  forever  identifies  the  scene,  however  the  light 
and  shade  of  the  writer's  experience  may  differ,  so  Nature,  in 
her  wild,  vast,  and  beautiful  phases,  offers  in  the  former  an  in 
spiring  and  inexhaustible  charm,  and  free  institutions  an  ever- 
suggestive  theme,  however  variously  considered. 

The  increase  of  books  of  this  kind  can,  perhaps,  be  real 
ized  in  no  more  striking  way  than  by  comparing  the  long 
catalogue  of  the  present  day  with  the  materials  available  to 
the  inquirer  half  a  century  ago.  When  Winterbotham,  in 
1795,  undertook  to  prepare  an  "  Historical,  Geographical,  Com 
mercial,  and  Philosophical  View  of  the  United  States  "  * — to 
meet  an  acknowledged  want  in  Europe,  where  so  many,  con 
templating  emigration  to  America,  anxiously  sought  for  ac- 

*  Four  vols.  8vo.,  with  a  scries  of  maps,  plates,  portraits,  &c.,  London, 
1795.  "A  valuable  record  of  the  state  of  this  continent  at  the  end  of  the 
last  century,  selected  from  all  accessible  sources." 


•  INTRODUCTION.  3 

• 

curate  knowledge,  and  often  for  local  and  political  details,  and 
where  there  existed  so  much  misconception  and  such  vision 
ary  ideas  in  regard  to  this  country — he  cited  the  following 
writers  as  his  chief  resource  for  facts  and  principles  of  his 
tory,  government,  social  conditions,  and  statistics  :  the  Abbe 
Raynal,  Dr.  Franklin,  Robertson,  Clavigero,  Jefferson,  Bel- 
knap,  Adams,  Catesby,  Morse,  Buffon,  Gordon,  Ramsay,  Bar- 
tram,  Cox,  Rush,  Mitchill,  Cutler,  Imlay,  Filson,  Barlow, 
Brissot,  and  Edwards.  The  authenticity  of  most  of  these 
writers  made  them,  indeed,  most  desirable  authorities ;  but 
the  reader  who  recalls  their  respective  works  will  readily  per 
ceive  how  limited  was  the  scope  of  such,  considered  as  illus 
trating  the  entire  country.  Dr.  Belknap  wrote  of  New 
Hampshire,  Jefferson  of  Virginia,  Bartram  of  Florida  and  a 
few  other  States  ;  Ramsay,  Gordon,  Adams,  and  Franklin  fur 
nished  excellent  political  information ;  but  Morse's  Geography 
was  quite  crude  and  limited,  and  Brissot's  account  of  America 
was  tinctured  with  his  party  views.  We  need  not  lose  sight 
of  the  benefits  which  our  early  historical  authors  and  natural 
ists  conferred,  while  we  fully  recognize  the  superior  complete 
ness  and  scientific  insight  of  later  and  better-equipped  authors. 
Dr.  Belknap,  it  will  ever  be  conceded,  stands  foremost  as  a 
primitive  local  historian,  and  benign  is  his  memory  as  the 
indefatigable  student  of  venerable  records  when  the  steeple 
of  the  Old  South  Church,  in  Boston,  was  his  study;  while,  as 
the  founder  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  every 
explorer  of  New  England  annals  owes  him  a  debt  of  grati 
tude  :  yet  his  description  of  the  White  Mountains  is  more 
valuable  for  its  early  date  than  for  those  scientific  and  pic 
turesque  details  which  give  such  interest  to  the  botanical 
researches  of  contemporary  authors.  The  data  furnished  by 
Catesby  and  Bartram  have  still  a  charm  and  use  for  the 
savant  who  examines  the  flora  and  ichthyology  of  Florida 
and  the  Carolinas — notwithstanding  the  splendid  work  of 
Agassiz  ;  and  there  are  temporary  aspects  of  life  at  the  South 
noted  by  Paulding,  which  give  emphasis  to  the  more  thorough 
statistics  of  Olmsted. 


4:  INTRODUCTION. 

To  a  philosophical  reader,  indeed,  there  are  few  more 
striking  illustrations  of  character  than  the  diverse  trains  of 
thought,  sources  of  interest,  and  modes  of  viewing  the  same 
subject,  which  books  of  travel  incidentally  reveal :  from 
Herodotus  to  Humboldt,  the  disposition  and  idiosyncrasies 
of  the  writers  are  as  apparent  as  their  comparative  ability. 
There  is,  undoubtedly,  great  sameness  in  the  numerous  jour 
nals,  letters,  and  treatises  of  travellers  on  America ;  only  a  few 
of  them  have  any  claim  to  originality,  or  seem  animated  by  vital 
relations  to  the  subject ;  a  specimen  here  and  there  represents 
an  entire  class ;  and  to  analyze  the  whole  would  be  wearisome ; 
yet,  in  all  that  bear  the  impress  of  discrimination  and  moral  sen 
sibility,  there  is  evident  the  individuality  of  taste  and  purpose 
that  belongs  to  all  genuine  human  work  ;  and  in  this  point  of 
view  these  writings  boast  no  common  variety :  each  author 
looks  at  his  theme  through  the  lens  to  which  his  vision  is 
habituated ;  and  hence  we  have  results  as  diverse  as  the 
medium  and  the  motive  of  the  respective  writers.  It  accords 
with  Talleyrand's  political  tastes  that  the  sight  of  Alexander 
Hamilton — one  of  the  wisest  of  the  republican  legislators — 
should  have  been  the  most  memorable  incident  of  his  exile  in 
America  :  equally  accordant  with  Ampere's  literary  sentiment 
was  it  that  he  should  find  a  Dutch  gable  as  attractive  as 
Broadway,  because  it  revived  the  genial  humor  of  Irving's 
facetious  History :  Wilson  and  Charles  Bonaparte  found  the 
birds,  French  officers  the  fair  Quakers,  English  commercial 
travellers  the  manufactures  and  tariffs,  English  farmers  the 
agriculture,  Continental  economists  the  prison  and  educational 
systems,  Lyell  the  rocks  and  mines,  Michaux  the  trees,  sports 
men  the  Western  plains,  and  clerical  visitors  the  sects  and 
missions — the  chief  attraction ;  and  while  one  pilgrim  be 
stows  his  most  heartfelt  reflections  upon  the  associations  of 
Mount  Vernon,  another  has  no  sympathy  for  any  scene  or 
subject  but  those  connected  with  slavery :  this  one  is  amus 
ing  in  humorous  exaggeration  of  the  Connecticut  Blue  Laws, 
and  that  one  extravagant  in  his  republican  zeal ;  tobacco  and 
maple  sugar,  intemperance  and  prairie  hunting,  reptiles  and 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

elections,  the  whale  fishery  and  the  Indians,  manners  and 
morals,  occupy,  in  most  unequal  proportions,  the  attention  of 
different  writers  ;  an  engineer  praises  the  ingenuity  and  hardi 
hood,  while  he  deprecates  the  fragility  of  the  "  remarkable 
wooden  bridges  in  America ; "  an  editor  discourses  of  the  in 
fluence  and  abuse  of  the  Press  ;  a  horticulturist  speculates  on 
the  prospects  of  the  vine  culture,  and  an  economist  on  the 
destruction  of  the  forests  and  the  desultory  system  of  farm 
ing.  Chambers,  accustomed  to  cater  for  useful  knowledge 
for  the  people,  describes  public  establishments  and  schools ; 
while  Kossuth's  companion  Pulskzy  looks  sharply  at  the 
"  white,  red,  and  black "  races  of  the  land,  and  speculates 
therefrom  upon  democracy  and  its  results;  Lady  Stuart 
Wortley  enters  into  the  sentiment  of  the  scenery,  and  Miss 
Bremer  into  the  details  of  domestic  economy ;  the  Earl  of 
Carlisle  asks  first  for  Allston's  studio  on  landing,  and,  with  the 
liberality  of  a  scholar  and  a  gentleman,  elucidates  the  country 
he  has  partially  but  candidly  observed,  in  a  popular  lecture  ; 
while  the  Honorable  Augustus  Murray  had  too  much  rare 
sport  in  the  "West,  and  formed  too  happy  a  conjugal  tie  in 
America,  not  to  have  his  recollections  thereof,  bright  and 
kindly  in  the  record.  In  a  word,  every  degree  of  sympathy 
and  antipathy,  of  refinement  and  vulgarity,  of  philosophi 
cal  ie^ight  and  shallow  impertinence  is  to  be  traced  in  these 
books  of  American  travel — from  coarse  malice  to  dull  good 
nature,  and  from  genial  sense  to  repulsive  bigotry.  And 
while  the  field  may  appear  to  have  been  well  reaped  as  re 
gards  the  discussion  of  manners,  government,  and  industrial 
resources — recondite  inquirers,  especially  the  ethnologists, 
regard  America  as  still  ripe  for  the  harvest. 

Years  ago,  Le  Comte  Carli  *  wrote  to  his  cousin  :  "  Je  me 
propose  de  vous  developper  mes  idees,  ou,  si  vous  le  voulez, 

*  " Lettres  Americaines,"  2  vols.  8vo.,  Paris,  1788.  "In  the  first  part, 
the  author  describes  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  Americans  before  their 
country  was  discovered  by  Europeans.  He  also  believes  that  traces  of  the 
religious  rites  of  the  Church  of  Rome  were  found  among  them,  which  resem 
bled  baptism  and  the  communion  of  bread  and  wine." 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

mes  songes,  concernant  les  anciens  peuples  de  1'Amerique  que 
je  crois  descendus  de  ces  antiques  Atlantides  si  fameux  dans 
1'histoire  des  premiers  temps."  And,  within  a  few  months,  a 
London  critical  journal  has  mercilessly  ridiculed  the  Abbe  Em. 
Domenech,  who  published  his  "  Seven  Years'  Residence  in  the 
Great  American  Deserts ; "  in  the  introduction  to  which  he 
remarks :  "  America  is  not  solely  an  El  Dorado  for  free 
booters  and  fortune  seekers ;  though  few  persons  have  gone 
thither  to  gather  the  fruits  of  science."  He  refers  to  the 
origin  of  the  Indian  tribes  and  the  various  theories  on  the 
subject,  and  alludes  to  the  undoubted  fact  that  "  numerous 
emigrations  took  place  at  very  remote  periods  ; "  and  adds  : 
"  Africa  has  become  known  to  us,  but  America  has  still  a 
vast  desert  to  which  missionaries,  merchants,  and  some  rare 
scientific  expeditions  have  alone  penetrated.  Its  history,  its 
geography,  and  its  geology  are  still  wrapped  in  swaddling 
clothes.  America  is  now,  comparatively  speaking,  a  •  new 
country,  a  virgin  land,  which  contains  numerous  secrets. 
The  Government  of  the  United  States,  to  its  praise  be  it, 
have,  of  late  years,  sent  scientific  expeditions  into  the  Amer 
ican  Deserts ; "  and  he  notes  the  publications  of  Schoolcraft, 
Catlin,  and  the  Smithsonian  Institute. 

We  have  first  the  old  voyageurs  in  the  collection  of 
De  Bry  and  his  English  prototype  Ogilby — the  quaint,  often 
meagre,  but  original  and  authentic  records  of  the  first  explor 
ers  and  navigators  ;  then,  the  diaries,  travels,  and  memoirs  of 
the  early  Jesuit  missionaries ;  next,  the  colonial  pamphlets 
and  reports,  official,  speculative,  and  incidental,  including  the 
series  of  controversial  tracts  and  descriptions  relating  to  New 
England  and  Virginia  and  other  settlements ;  the  reports  of 
the  Quaker  missionaries,  the  travels  of  French  officers  who 
took  part  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  the  long  catalogue 
of  English  books — from  the  colonial  to  the  cockney  era ; 
while  the  lives  of  the  Spanish  explorers,  of  the  pioneers,  the 
military  adventurers,  and  the  founders  of  colonies  fill  up  and 
amplify  the  versatile  chronicle.  From  Roger  Williams's  Key 
to  the  Indian  Languages,  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton's  annotations 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

of  Grahame's  History  of  the  American  War,  from  De  Yries  to 
De  Tocqueville,  from  Cotton  Mather  *  to  Mrs.  Trollope,  from 
Harmon's  "  Free  Estate  of  Virginia,"  published  in  1614,  to 
Dr.  Russell's  fresh  letters  thence  to  the  London  Times  •  from 
Champlain's  voyage  to  Dickens's  Notes,  from  Zenger's  Trial  f  to 
the  last  report  of  the  Patent  Office — the  catalogue  raisonnee 
of  books  of  American  travel,  history,  and  criticism  would 
include  every  phase  of  life,  manners,  creed,  custom,  develop 
ment,  and  character,  from  the  imperfect  chart  of  unknown 
waters  to  the  glowing  photograph  of  manners  in  the  analyt 
ical  nineteenth  century.  We  find,  in  examining  the  library 
of  American  travels,  that  toleration  is  the  charm  that  invests 
her  to  the  heart  yet  bleeding  from  the  wounds  of  relentless 
persecution ;  and,  in  the  elation  of  freedom,  the  page  glows 
with  eloquent  gratitude  even  amid  the  plaints  of  exile. 
Mountains,  rivers,  cataracts,  and  caves  make  the  child  of 
romance  pause  and  plead ;  while  gigantic  fossil  or  exquisite 
coral  reefs  or  a  superb  tree  or  rare  flower  win  and  warm  the 
naturalist :  one  lingers  in  the  Baltimore  cathedral,  another  at 
the  Moravian  settlement  at  Bethlehem,  and  a  third  in  a  Uni 
tarian  chapel  at  Boston,  according  to  their  respective  views  ; 
while  "  equality  of  condition,"  small  taxes,  cheap  land,  or 
plentiful  labor  stcures  the  advocacy  of  the  practical;  and 
solecisms  in  manners  or  language  provoke  the  sarcasms  of  the 
fastidious. 

We  derive  from  each  and  all  of  these  commentators  on  our 
country,  information,  not  otherwise  obtainable,  of  the  "aspect 
of  nature  and  the  condition  of  the  people,  at  different  eras  and 
in  various  regions :  we  thus  realize  the  process  of  national 

*  Cotton  Mather's  "  Magnalia  Christ!  Americana ;  or,  the  Ecclesiastical 
History  of  New  England,"  2  vols.  8vo.,  first  American  ed.,  Hartford,  1820. 

f  "  A  Brief  Narrative  of  the  Case  and  Trial  of  John  P.  Zenger,  Printer  of 
the  New  York  'Weekly  Journal,'  for  a  Libel,"  4to.,  pp.  53,  New  York,  1770. 
Governeur  Morris,  instead  of  dating  American  liberty  from  the  Stamp  Act, 
traced  it  to  the  prosecution  of  Peter  Zenger,  a  printer  in  the  colony  of  New 
York,  for  an  alleged  libel :  because  that  event  revealed  the  philosophy  of 
freedom,  both  of  thought  and  speech,  as  an  inborn  human  right,  so  nobly  set 
forth  in  Milton's  treatise  on  unlicensed  printing. . 


8  INTEODUCTION. 

development ;  trace  to  their  origin  local  peculiarities ;  behold 
the  present  by  the  light  of  the  past ;  and,  in  a  manner,  iden 
tify  ourselves  with  those  to  whom  familiarity  had  not  blunted 
the  impression  of  scenes  native  to  ourselves,  and  social  traits 
•or  political  tendencies  too  near  for  us  to  view  them  in  their 
true  moral  perspective.  It  may  therefore  prove  both  useful 
and  interesting,  suggestive  and  entertaining,  to  follow  the 
steps  and  listen  to  the  comments  of  these  numerous  travellers 
and  critics,  and  so  learn  better  to  understand,  more  justly  to 
appreciate  and  wisely  love  the  land  of  our  birth,  doubly  dear 
since  fratricidal  hands  have  desecrated  her  fame. 

After  colonial  enterprise,  "republican  sympathy,  economical 
zeal,  the  satirical,  the  adventurous,  and  the  scientific  had  thus 
successively  reported  to  Europe  the  condition  and  prospects, 
the  errors  and  merits  of  our  country,  in  the  height  of  her 
material  prosperity,  broke  out  the  long-matured  Rebellion  of 
the  Slaveholders ;  and  while  a  vast  and  sanguinary  civil  war 
tested  to  the  utmost,  the  moral  and  physical  resources  of  the 
nation,  it  called  forth  a  new,  more  earnest  and  significant 
criticism  abroad.  To  analyze  this  would  be  to  discuss  the 
entire  foreign  bibliography  of  the  war  for  the  Union.  We 
can  but  glance  at  its  most  striking  features  and  important 
phenomena.  t 

The  first  lesson  to  be  inferred  from  the  most  cursory  sur 
vey  of  what  has  been  published  in  Europe  on  what  is  there 
called  "  the  American  Question,"  is  the  immense  and  intricate 
influence  and  relations  which  now  unite  the  Kew  to  the  Old 
World.  Commerce,  emigration,  political  ideas,  social  inter 
ests,  literature,  science,  and  religion  have,  one  and  all,  con 
tinued  to  weave  strong  mutual  ties  of  dependence  and  re 
ciprocity  between  Europe  and  America,  to  realize  the  extent 
and  vital  importance  of  which  we  have  only  to  compare  the 
issues  of  the  European  press  for  a  single  week  with  the  sparse 
and  obscure  publications  whereby  the  foreigner,  a  century 
ago,  learned  what  was  going  on  or  likely  to  be  achieved  for 
humanity  on  the  great  western  continent.  This  voluminous 
and  impressive  testimony  as  to  the  essential  importance  of 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

America  to  Europe,  is  quite  as  manifest  in  the  abuse  as  in  the 
admiration,  in  the  repulsion  as  the  sympathy  of  foreign  wri 
ters,  during  the  memorable  conflict ;  for  selfish  fear,  interested 
motives,  or  base  jealousy  inspired  their  bitter  comments  far 
more  than  speculative  indifference  ;  while  those  in  a  disinter 
ested  position,  actuated  solely  by  philosophical  and  humane 
impulses,  elaborately  pleaded  the  cause  of  our  national  life 
and  integrity  as  involved  in  the  essential  welfare  of  the  civil 
ized  world.  Next  to  this  universal  acknowledgment  of  a 
mutual  stake  in  the  vast  conflict,  perhaps  for  us  the  most  sin 
gular  revelation  derived  from  the  foreign  discussion  of  our 
civil  and  military  affairs  has  been  that  of  the  extraordinary 
ignorance  of  the  country  existing  abroad.  Apart  from  wilful 
political  and  perverse  prejudice,  this  popular  ignorance  is 
doubtless  the  cause  and  the  excuse  for  much  of  the  patent 
injustice  and  animosity  exhibited  by  the  press  toward  the 
United  States.  The  rebellious  government  organized  a  social 
mission  to  Europe,  Avhereby  they  forestalled  public  opinion 
and  artfully  misrepresented  facts  :  so  that  it  has  been  a  slow 
process  to  enlighten  the  leaders  of  opinion,  and  counteract 
the  work  of  mercenary  writers  in  France  and  England  sub 
sidized  at  the  earliest  stage  of  the  war. 

But  with  all  due  allowance  for  want  of  knowledge  and 
the  assiduity  of  paid  advocates  of  error,  through  all  the  pas 
sion,  prejudice,  and  mercenary  hardihood  which  have  given 
birth  to  so  much  falsehood,  malice,  and  inhumanity  in  the 
foreign  literary  treatment  of  our  national  cause  in  this  stupen 
dous  crisis  and  climax  of  social  and  civil  life — we  can  yet  dis 
tinctly  trace  the  influence  and  recognize  the  work  of  friend 
and  foe  in  the  recent  avalanche  of  new  commentators  on 
America :  their  motives  become  daily  more  obvious,  their 
legitimate  claims  more  apparent,  and  their  just  influence  bet 
ter  appreciated.  History  has  in  store  for  the  most  eminent 
an  estimate  which  will  counteract  any  undue  importance 
attached  to  their  dicta  by  the  acute  sensibilities  of  the  passing 
time,  so  "  big  with  fate."  In  an  intellectual  point  of  view, 
the  course  of  English  writers  is  already  defined  and  explained 
1* 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

to  popular  intelligence :  the  greater  part  of  their  insane  ill 
will  and  perverse  misrepresentation  being  accredited  to  polit 
ical  jealousy  and  prejudice,  and  therefore  of  no  moral  value ; 
while  the  evidence  of  bribery  and  corruption  robs  another 
large  amount  of  vituperation  and  false  statement  of  all 
rational  significance  ;  while  the  more  prominent  and  pOAverful 
expositors,  as  far  as  position,  capacity,  and  integrity  are  con 
cerned,  are,  to  say  the  least,  not  so  unequally  divided  as  to 
cause  any  fear  that  truth  and  justice  lack  able  and  illustrious 
defenders  :  in  the  political  arena,  Roebuck's  vulgar  anathemas 
were  more  than  counterbalanced  by  the  sound  and  honest 
reasoning  of  Cobden  and  the  logical  eloquence  of  Bright ; 
while  we  could  afford  to  bear  the  superficial  sneers  of  Carlyle, 
more  of  an  artist  than  a  philosopher  in  letters,  and  the  un 
worthy  misrepresentations  of  Lord  Brougham,  senilely  aris 
tocratic  and  unsympathetic,  while  the  vigorous  thinker  and 
humanely  scientific  reformer  John  Stuart  Mill  so  clearly, 
consistently,  and  effectively  pleaded  the  claims  of  our  free 
nationality.  And  in  France,  how  vain  in  the  retrospect  seem 
the  venal  lucubrations  of  pamphleteers  and. newspaper  con 
tributors  arrayed  against  the  Government  and  people  of  the 
United  States  when  fighting  for  national  existence  and  against 
the  perpetuity  and  canonization  of  the  greatest  of  human 
wrongs — when,  in  the  lecture  room  of  the  College  of  France, 
the  gifted  and  erudite  Edouard  Laboulaye  expounds  the  grand 
and  rightful  basis  of  our  Constitution,  and  in  the  salons  of 
the  same  metropolis  scatters  his  wit-kindled  pages  in  vindica 
tion  of  our  social  privileges  and  civic  growth ;  and,  at  the 
French  Academy,  Montalembert  thus  opens  his  discourse : 

"  Gentlemen,  eighty  years  have  elapsed  since  M.  Montyon  con 
fided  to  the  French  Academy  the  mission  of  crowning  not  only  lite 
rary  works  useful  to  morals,  but  virtuous  deeds.  It  was  in  the  year 
1782;  at  the  moment  when  the  peace  of  America  commenced  to 
recompense  the  glorious  cooperation  which  France  had  lent  to  the 
emancipation  of  the  United  States  and  to  the  birth  of  a  great  free  peo 
ple,  whose  greatness  and  whose  liberty  shall  never  perish,  if  it  please  God, 
in  the  formidable  trials  which  it  is  passing  through  to-day.  Louis  XVI. 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

showed  himself  still  animated  by  the  wisdom  which  had  called  Male- 
sherbes  and  Turgot  to  his  counsels.  The  Queen  Marie  Antoinette  had 
given  birth  to  her  firstborn ;  Madame  Elizabeth  of  France  was  in 
her  eighteenth  year,  illuminating  Versailles  with  her  virginal  graces 
and  her  angelic  piety — that  Elizabeth  whose  bust  you  see  before  you, 
presented  by  M.  Montyon  himself,  with  the  inscription  '  To  Virtue,' 
of  which  she  seemed  the  most  perfect  and  touching  type.  Liberty 
then  seemed  to  rise  up  pure  and  fruitful  in  Europe  as  in  America,  and 
our  ancient  royalty  to  be  steeped  in  a  new  fountain  of  youth,  pop 
ularity,  and  virtue. 

"  How  many  miscalculations,  ruins,  and  disasters,  above  all,  how 
many  crimes  and  humiliating  failures,  since  these  days  of  generous 
illusion,  of  legitimate  enthusiasm  and  blind  confidence  !  How  many 
cruel  lessons  inflicted  upon  the  noblest  aspirations  of  the  human 
heart !  How  many  motives  for  not  surrendering  themselves  to  the 
most  reasonable  hopes  except  with  a  salutary  humility,  but  however, 
without  ever  abdicating  the  indissoluble  rights  of  human  liberty  or 
banishing  to  the  land  of  chimeras  the  noble  ambition  of  governing 
men  by  honor  and  conscience  !  " 

The  new  comments  on  America  elicited  by  the  war  are 
threefold :  first,  political  speeches  ;  second,  newspaper  com 
mentaries  ;  and  third,  treatises  deliberately  written  and  pub 
lished.  Of  the  first,  the  greater  part  are  unavoidably  ephem 
eral  in  their  influence,  and  usually  called  forth  by  a  special 
phase  of  the  war  in  its  international  relations ;  the  second, 
especially  as  regards  the  leading  journal  in  Great  Britain  and 
most  famous  in  the  world,  have  sunk  to  the  lowest  conceivable 
level  as  a  medium  of  authentic  information  and  a  mercenary 
agency ;  in  the  third  department  alone  has  anything  of  a  com 
plete  and  permanent  interest  been  introduced  ;  and  there  are 
pages  of  De  Gasparin,  Laboulaye,  Mill,  Cairnes,  Newman, 
Cochin,  and  Martin,  which  deserve  to  be  enshrined  as  literary 
illustrations  of  Christian  liberalism  and  eloquent  loyalty  to 
truth  and  humanity  in  the  defence  and  illustration  of  Ameri 
can  liberty,  law,  and  life,  in  their  magnanimous  conflict  with 
injustice,  degradation,  and  cruel  sacrilege.  When  Lafayette, 
nearly  half  a  century  ago,  received  at  the  hands  of  the  nation 
in  whose  behalf  he  had  fought  in  his  youth,  the  greatest  pop 
ular  ovation  ever  granted  to  a  hero,  he  thus  alluded  to  the 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

Union  in  one  of  his  replies  to  the  municipal  welcomes  that 
greeted  his  entrance  into  every  city  of  the  land : 

"A  Union,  so  essential,  not  only  to  ihefate  of  each  member  of  the 
confederacy,  but  also  to  the  general  fate  of  mankind,  that  the  least 
breach  of  it  would  be  hailed  with  barbarian  joy  by  a  universal  war- 
whoop  of  European  aristocracy  and  despotism." 

It  was  in  reply  to  this  base  "  war  whoop  "  that  the  writers 
we  have  mentioned,  so  eloquently  and  seasonably  advocated 
the  cause  and  character  of  our  nation. 

One  of  the  most  curious  and  interesting  of  the  countless 
subjects  which  the  history  of  our  memorable  conflict  will 
yield  to  future  philosophical  investigation,  will  be  its  literary 
fruit  and  record — the  bibliography  of  the  war — and  of  this 
the  foreign  contributions  will  afford  some  remarkable  and 
brilliant  specimens.  If  to  ourselves,  as  a  nation,  the  war  for 
the  Union  has  been  a  test  of  extraordinary  scope  and  intensity 
— developing  a  military  and  scientific  genius,  a  sanitary  enter 
prise,  an  extent  of  financial  resources,  a  capacity  for  self-sacri 
fice  and  self-reliance  undreamed  of  in  our  prior  experience  ;  if 
it  has  tested  personal  character  and  modified  social  estimates, 
and  tried  absolutely  the  comparative  worth  and  latent  force 
of  our  institutions  and  national  sentiment,  not  less  has  it 
tested  the  political  magnanimity,  the  press,  the  prejudices,  the 
social  philosophy,  and  humane  instincts  of  Europe ;  and  if  the 
crisis  has  evoked  much  that  is  mean  and  mortifying  in  the 
spirit  of  those  old  communities  in  their  feelings  toward  our 
young  republic  in  the  bitter  hour  when  the  pangs  of  a  second 
birth  are  rending  her  vitals,  so  also  has  it  called  forth  memor 
able,  benign,  noble  words  of  cheer  and  challenge  from  volun 
teer  champions  of  America  abroad,  in  the  foremost  ranks  of 
her  best  and  most  honest  thinkers,  lovers  of  truth,  and  repre 
sentatives  of  humanity. 


CHAPTER   I. 

EARLY     DISCOVERERS     AND     EXPLORERS. 

FKOM  the  time  when  the  existence  of  this  continent  was 
but  conjectural  to  the  European  mind,  and  recognized  as  a 
fact  of  nature  only  in  the  brain  of  a  poor  Genoese  mariner, 
it  was  looked  to,  thought  of,  imagined  chiefly  in  its  relation 
to  the  Old  World,  as  the  completion  and  resource  of  her  civil 
ization — a  new  opportunity,  a  fresh  arena.  Gold  seekers,  * 
indeed,  were  prompted  to  gaze  hither  by  mere  cupidity,  and 
Columbus  nearly  lost  his  long-solicited  aid  from  the  Spanish 
sovereigns  by  insisting  on  hereditary  privileges  of  rule  and 
possession  in  case  of  success  ;  but  the  idea  that  warmed  the 
generous  purpose  of  Isabella  was  the  conversion  to  Chris 
tianity  of  the  heathen  tribes  of  America,  and  the  extension 
of  Catholic  rule  in  the  world.  No  candid  thinker  can  look 
back  upon  the  period  of  the  discovery  without  tracing  a 
wonderful  combination  of  events  and  tendencies  of  humanity, 
whereof  this  land  seems  the  foreordained  and  inevitable  goal 
and  consequence.  It  cannot  appear  to  the  least  imaginative 
and  philosophical  mind  as  an  accident,  that  the  zeal  for  mari 
time  discovery  should  have  awakened  in  Europe  simultaneous 
ly  with  the  access  of  new  social  truth,  the  sudden  progress  of 

*  "  Les  chercheurs  d'or  ont  commence,  ni  voulant  qu'or,  rien  de  plus  brisant 
i'komme,  Colomb,  le  meilleur  de  tous,  dans  son  propre  journal,  montre  cela  avec 
une  naivete  terrible,  qui  d'avance,  fait  fremir  de  ce  que  feront  ses  successeurs." 
— MICHELET. 


14:  '  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

ideas,  and  the  triumph  of  mechanical  genius.  With  the 
fifteenth  century  the  "  civilization  of  the  sanctuary "  over 
leaped  its  long  exclusive  boundaries,  and,  with  the  invention 
of  printing,  became  a  normal  need  and  law  of  humanity ; 
feudalism  waned ;  the  Reformation  awoke  and  set  free  the 
instinct  of  faith  and  moral  freedom  ;  and  just  at  this  crisis  a 
new  world  was  opened,  a  fresh  sphere  afforded.  As  the  idea 
of  "  geographical  unity  " — the  conviction  that  "  the  globe 
wanted  one  of  its  hemispheres  " — was  the  inspiration  of  Colum 
bus,  so  to  the  eye  of  the  thoughtful  observer,  an  equilibrium 
of  the  moral  world — a  balance  to  the  human  universe — was  as 
obvious  and  imperative  a  necessity  ;  for  the  new  ideas  and  the 
conflict  of  opinions  and  interests,  and  especially  the  new  and 
absolute  self-assertion,  incident  to  the  decay  of  error  and  the 
escape  from  traditional  degradation,  made  it  indispensable 
to  the  safety  of  the  innovator,  the  freedom  of  the  thinker, 
the  scope  of  the  dissenter  and  reformer,  to  find  refuge  and 
audience  in  a  land  whose  destinies  yet  lay  undeveloped  in  the 
wild  freedom  of  nature,  and  where  prowess  of  mind  as  well 
as  of  animal  courage  could  work  into  "  victorious  clearness  " 
the  confused  problems  of  an  aspiring  civilization,  and  lay  the 
foundation  of  an  eclectic,  liberal,  and  free  community  of  men 
— "  a  wider  theatre  and  a  new  life." 

Accordingly,  with  the  progress  of  time  and  the  accumula 
tion  of  historical  details,  with  the  profound  analysis  thereof 
that  characterizes  modern  research — the  decline  of  feudal  and 
ecclesiastical  sway  in  Europe,  the  Reformation,  and  the  inven 
tion  of  printing  are  seen  to  have  an  intimate  relation  to  and 
affinity  with  the  discovery  of  America,  in  the  series  of  historical 
events  which  have  resulted  in  the  civilization  of  the  nineteenth 
century.  Nor  is  this  original  association  of  the  New  and  Old 
World  without  a  vague  physical  parallel ;  for*  it  has  been  a 
favorite  scientific  speculation  that  there  was  an  ancient  union 
or  proximity  of  the  two  continents — suggested  by  the  fact 
that  the  eastern  shore  of  America  advances  where  the  opposite 
shore  of  Europe  recedes.  "  Firstborn  among  the  continents," 
says  Agassiz,  "  though  so  much  later  in  culture  and  civiliza- 


EARLY    DISCOVERERS   AND   EXPLORERS.  15 

tion  than  some  of  more  recent  birth,  America,  as  far  as  her 
physical  history  is  concerned,  has  been  falsely  denominated  the 
New  World."  "  America,"  says  Ritter,  "  although  it  repeats 
the  contrasts  of  the  Old  World,  yet  the  course  of  its  mountain 
chains  is  riot  from  east  to  west,  but  from  north  to  south.  Its 
sea  coast  best  endowed  with  harbors  and  islands  is  on  the 
eastern  side,  and  so  turned  toward  the  civilization  of  the  Old 
World.  The  Gulf  Stream,  which  may  be  called  the  great  com 
mercial  highway  of  nations,  brought  both  of  the  continents 
bordering  on  the  North  Atlantic  into  direct  connection. 
North  America  was,  therefore,  destined  to  be  discovered 
by  Europeans,  and  not  by  Asiatics.  Asia  could  easily  have 
transferred  a  part  of  its  population  to  America,  in  consequence 
of  the  proximity  of  their  shores  at  Behring's  Straits.  But  the 
sea  coast  of  North  America  is  so  richly  furnished  with  har 
bors  and  islands,  that  it  readily  attracted  European  civiliza 
tion.  The  gentle  slopes  of  the  American  continent  offered  a 
most  favorable  field  to  Europeans,  allowing,  as  they  did,  civil 
ization  to  penetrate  without  obstruction  every  portion  of  the 
land.  Nature,  too,  has  shown  us,  by  giving  to  America  river 
systems  which  run  northward  to  the  numerous  groups  of 
islands  and  peninsulas  of  the  Polar  Sea,  that  America  was 
destined  even  more  than  Europe  to  send  civilization  to  the 
northern  portions  of  the  globe."  * 

The  North  American  continent  extends  from  the  twenty- 
fourth  to  the  forty-nintfy  degree  of  north  latitude,  and  from 
the  sixty-sixth  to  the  one  hundred  and  twenty-fourth  degree 
of  west  longitude  :  its  area  is  more  than  five  sixths  that  of 
Europe,  and  more  than  ten  times  that  of  Great  Britain  and 
France  united :  there  are  seven  thousand  miles  of  eastern 
shore  line,  thirty-four  hundred  southern  and  twenty-two 
hundred  western ;  while  the  northern  lake  line  is  twenty-two 
hundred  miles.  Climate,  soil,  avocation,  and  productions  are, 
by  this  affluent  space,  adapted  to  the  constitution,  the  charac 
ter,  and  the  necessity  of  each  European  nationality — so  that 

*  "  Geographical  Studies,"  by  Professor  Carl  Ritter,  of  Berlin,  translated 
by  W.  L.  Gage. 


16  AMEEICA   AND   HEK   COMMENTATORS. 

the  German  vinedresser,  the  Italian  musician,  the  Spanish 
planter,  the  French  modiste — Pole,  Russian,  Swede,  Swiss,  and 
Sicilian — the  professor,  merchant,  man  of  science,  agriculturist, 
tough  rustic,  delicate  artiste,  radical  writer,  proselyting  priest, 
or  cosmopolitan  philosopher — with  any  sagacity,  self-respect, 
or  urbanity,  can  readily  find  the  physical  conditions  or  the 
social  facilities,  the  climate,  business,  and  community,  the 
scopes,  position,  and  prosperity  adapted  to  his  temperament 
and  faculty.  The  Spanish,  French,  and  colonial  history  of 
America — the  national  epoch  with  its  statistics  of  navigation, 
population,  taxation,  education,  public  lands,  railways,  manu 
factures,  patents,  canals,  telegraphs,  legislation,  municipal 
rule,  emigration,  jurisprudence,  trade,  and  government — and, 
finally,  the  causes  and  significance  of  the  present  rebellion — 
are  each  and  all  elements  of  a  vast  historical  development, 
wherein  a  Christian  philosopher  can  easily  trace  a  consecutive 
significance  and  Divine  superintendence  of  humanity. 

Travellers  of  ordinary  intelligence  and  observation  are  not 
unfrequently  lured  into  vague  but  rational  conjectures  as  to 
the  history  of  races  by  the  resemblance  so  often  apparent 
between  the  memorials  of  widely  separated  and  most  ancient 
people.  An  American  familiar  with  the  trophies  of  an  Egyp 
tian  museum,  who  has  examined  the  contents  of  a  Western 
mound,  visited  an  Etruscan  city,  like  Volterra,  Druidical  re 
mains  in  Britain,  or  compared  the  porcelain  idols  of  Burmah 
with  those  found  in  South  and  Central  America,  will  be 
tempted  to  follow  with  credulity  the  ingenious  speculations  of 
antiquarian  savans  who  argue  from  symbolic  coincidences  that 
an  identical  language  arid  worship,  in  remote  ages,  linked  in  a 
common  bond  the  world's  inhabitants  ;  or  that  similar  trophies 
of  faith  found  in  Odin  stones  and  Hindu  temples,  in  Etrurian 
sepulchres  and  Mississippi  tumuli,  at  least,  suggest  a  more 
ancient  emigration  to  America  than  is  claimed  by  the  advo 
cates  of  Norse  discoveries.  It  is  but  needful  to  read  the  his 
tory  of  the  serpent  symbol  and  the  recent  controversies  as  to 
unity  of  races,  to  find  in  such  ethnological  speculations  a  re 
markable  basis  of  fact ;  whether  or  not  we  admit  the  prob- 


EARLY   DISCOVERERS    AND   EXPLORERS.  IT 

ability  so  confidently  urged  that  a  Chinese  priest  and  a  fifth- 
century  Buddhist  missionary  visited  this  continent  via  the 
Pacific,  and  reported  thereof,  ages  before  Christopher  Colum 
bus  dreamed  of  a  new  world.  In  fact,  the  early  history  and 
traditions  relating  to  the  discovery  and  casual  settlements,  is 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  chapters  in  the  annals  of  the 
world — affording,  on  the  one  hand,  the  greatest  scope  for 
imagination,  and,  on  the  other,  the  most  suggestive  material 
for  philosophical  inference  and  elucidation.  How  early  and 
in  what  manner  the  nearest  points  of  contact  between  America 
and  the  rest  of  the  world,  in  the  far  northwest,  were  first 
crossed  at  Behring's  Straits,  gives  room  for  bold  conjecture  : 
ethnologists,  iarcha3ologists,  and  antiquarians  have  broached 
numerous  theories  and  established  curious  facts  to  prove  that 
the  "  new  world "  of  Columbus  was  known  and  partially 
colonized  long  before  that  intrepid  navigator  heard  the 
thrilling  cry  of  "  land ! "  from  the  mast  head  of  the  Pinta : 
not  only  those  primitive  explorers  the  Chinese  and  Japanese, 
but  the  ancient  Phoenicians,  Norman  colonists  from  Greenland, 
Irish  saints,  and  Russian  overland  expeditions  have  been  con 
fidently  traced  and  sometimes  authenticated.  Naturalists 
have,  with  subtile  knowledge,  pointed  out  how  the  secret  of 
another  continent  was  whispered  by  the  voice  of  Nature,  seeds 
borne  on  the  currents  of  the  air,  and  plants  on  those  of  the 
sea ;  scholars  have  culled  from  old  Latin  and  Italian  poets 
intimations  of  the  existence  of  a  hemisphere  unexplored  ;  and 
ingenious  observers  have  appealed  to  stone  hearths,  like  those 
of  Denmark,  found  at  Cape  Cod,  moss-grown  clefts  in  aged 
trees,  brass  arrow  heads,  and  copper  axes,  to  evidence  a  long- 
lost  colony. 

The  Icelandic  navigators  are  supposed  to  have  made  voy 
ages  to  Yinland,  on  the  southern  coast  of  New  England,  five 
centuries  before  Columbus.  The  Welsh,  too,  claim  a  share  in 
this  remote  exploration  of  America.  In  the  preface  to  his 
poem  of  "  Madoc,"  Southey  says  of  the  hero,  he  "  abandoned 
his  barbarous  country,  and  sailed  away  to  the  west,  in  search 
of  some  better  resting  place.  The  land  which  he  discovered 


18  AMERICA    AND    HER   COMMENTATORS. 

pleased  him ;  lie  left  there  part  of  his  people,  and  went  back 
to  Wales  for  a  fresh  supply  of  adventurers,  with  whom  he 
again  set  sail,  and  was  heard  of  no  more.  Strong  evidence 
has  been  adduced  that  he  reached  America,  and  that  his  pos 
terity  exist  there  to  this  day."  And  a  venerable  scholar,  of 
our  own  country,  observes  that 

"Madoc  is  stated  to  have  been  a  son  of  Owen  Gwynedd,  Prince, 
or,  as  lie  is  often  styled,  King  of  Wales.  His  father's  death  is  assigned 
to  the  year  1169,  and  the  commencement  of  liis  own  voyage  to  the 
succeeding  year.  I  quote  an  authority  which  has  apparently  been 
overlooked,  in  citing  Warrington's  History  of  Wales.  He  writes : 
4  About  this  time  [1170]  Madoc,  seeing  the  contention  which  agitated 
the  fiery  spirit  of  his  brothers,  with  a  courage  equal  to  theirs,  but  far 
more  liberally  directed,  gave  himself  up  to  the  danger  and  uncertainty 
of  seas  hitherto  unexplored.  He  is  said  to  have  embarked  with  a  few 
ships ;  sailing  west,  and  leaving  Ireland  to  the  north,  he  traversed 
the  ocean  till  lie  arrived  by  accident  upon  the  coast  of  America. 
Pleased  with  its  appearance,  he  left  there  a  great  part  of  liis  people, 
and  returning  for  a  fresh  supply,  he  was  joined  by  many  adventurers, 
both  men  and  women ;  who,  encouraged  by  a  flattering  description 
of  that  country,  and  sick  of  the  disorders  which  reigned  in  their  own, 
were  desirous  of  seeking  an  asylum  in  the  wilds  of  America.' 

"  Some,  indeed,  have  regarded  the  whole  subject  as  unworthy  of 
investigation.  But  when  we  perceive  it  asserted,  that  individuals 
have  seen  in  the  possession  of  Indians,  as  we  call  them,  books  or  rolls 
written  on  parchment,  and  carefully  wrapped  up,  though  they  could 
not  be  read  ;  and  the  people  who  possessed  them,  though  but  a  frag 
ment  of  our  Indian  population,  showing  a  fairer  skin  than  the  ordi 
nary  tribes,  and  hair  and  beard,  occasionally,  of  reddish  color — we 
must  think  the  subject  worth  some  farther  inquiry ;  and  I  cannot 
but  express  the  hope  that  the  inquiry  may  be  pursued."  * 

Carl  Christian  Rafn,  a  Danish  archa3ologist,  in  his  work  on 
American  antiquities,  published  at  Copenhagen  in  1837,  en 
deavors  to  prove  that  America  was  not  only  discovered  by 
the  Scandinavians  in  the  tenth,  but  that  during  the  four  suc 
ceeding  centuries  they  made  frequent  voyages  thither,  and 

* "  Address  before  the  American  Antiquarian  Society,  at  their  Annual 
Meeting,  October,  1863,"  by  Rev.  William  Jenks,  D.  D. 


EARLY   DISCOVERERS   AND   EXPLORERS.  19 

had  settlements  in  what  is  now  Massachusetts  and  Rhode 
Island. 

Availing  himself  of  these  researches,  our  eminent  country 
man  Henry  Wheaton  enriched  his  "  History  of  the  North 
men  " — a  work,  like  the  author's  Treatise  on  International  Law, 
of  European  reputation — the  fruit  of  studies  carried  on  in  the 
midst  of  important  and  admirably  fulfilled  diplomatic  duties. 

Alexander  von  Humboldt,  on  his  way  from  Mexico  via 
Cuba,  arrived  at  Philadelphia  in  1804,  and  was  cordially  re 
ceived  at  Washington  by  Jefferson  ;  his  sojourn  in  the  United 
States,  however,  was  quite  brief:  of  his  views  in  regard  to 
the  ancient  memorials  found  in  the  American  continents  the 
historian  Prescott  observes :  "  Humboldt  is  a  true  philoso 
pher,  divested  of  local  and  national  prejudices  ;  like  most 
truly  learned  men,  he  is  cautious  and  modest  in  his  deductions, 
and  though  he  assembles  very  many  remarkable  coincidences 
between  the  Old  World  and  the  New,  in  their  institutions, 
notions,  habits,  etc.,  yet  he  does  not  infer  that  the  New 
World  was  peopled  from  the  Old,  much  less  from  one  par 
ticular  nation,  as  most  rash  speculators  have  done."  * 

From  the  vague  but  romantic  conjecture  of  the  Egyptian 
legend  which  Plato  repeated  in  regard  to  the  island  of  At 
lantis,  to  the  dim  traditions  which  place  the  wonderful  Vinland 
of  the  Scandinavian  navigators  on  the  shores  of  Labrador ; 
from  the  mysterious  charm  that  invested  the  newly  discovered 
isles  of  the  tropics  and  found  immortal  expression  in  Shak- 
speare's  Tempest,  to  the  curious  ethnological  speculations  which 
recognize  in  the  ancient  mounds  of  the  Mississippi  valley  rel 
ics  of  a  civilization  anterior  to  the  American  Indians ;  from 
the  fabulous  lures,  like  the  fountain  of  youth,  that  attracted 
Southern  Europeans  to  Florida,  to  the  stern  crises  of  opinion 
which  drove  English  Puritans  to  the  bleak  coast  of  New  Eng 
land — the  earliest  descriptions  of  and  associations  with  the 
country,  now  known  as  the  United  States  of  America,  are  deep 
ly  tinctured  with  visionary  legends  and  traditional  fables  ;  to 

*  Ticknor's  "Life  of  Prescott,"  p.  165. 


20  AMERICA   AND    HEK   COMMENTATORS. 

extricate  which  from  the  substratum  of  truth  and  fact,  is  a 
hopeless  attempt.  Nor,  despite  the  exploded  theories  which 
found  in  certain  rocks  and  structures  evidences  of  the  North 
men's  sojourn,  and  the  symbolical  science  which  seerns  par 
tially  to  unite  the  trophies  of  ancient  sepulchres  with  the  East- 
pera  races — are  we  averse  to  leave  un analyzed  the  vast  and 
mysterious  region  of  inquiry  outside  of  authentic  history ;  let 
it  remain  in  vague  extent  and  dreamy  suggestiveness — the 
domain  of  limitless  possibilities  to  the  philosopher,  and  of  ro 
mantic  suggestiveness  to  the  poet. 

Even  the  imaginative  charm  that  belongs  to  this  myth 
ical  era,  yields  to  one  scarcely  less  attractive,  when  the  Amer 
ican  traveller  remembers,  at  St.  Malo,  that  the  intrepid  Car- 
tier  thence  sailed  to  discover  the  St.  Lawrence,  or  inspects  with 
a  deeper  feeling  than  curiosity  the  letters  of  Verrazzano,  still 
preserved  in  the  library  at  Florence,  wherein  he  describes  the 
coast  of  Carolina  and  the  harbors  of  New  York  and  Newport 
in  all  their  virgin  solitude ;  and  recalls  at  Bristol  the  primitive 
expeditions  of  the  Cabots. 

It  is  sufficient,  indeed,  for  the  inquirer  who  aims  to  dis 
cern  and  illustrate  the  actual  resources,  development,  and  pros 
pects  of  the  country,  to  begin  with  the  first  authentic  descrip 
tions  of  the  mainland  by  the  old  navigators  who,  in  that  era 
of  maritime  enterprise,  visited  so  many  points  of  the  coast 
toward  the  close  of  the  fifteenth  and  the  early  part  of  the 
sixteenth  century. 

When  we  consider  what  geography  was  in  the  hands  of 
Strabo  and  Pliny,  and  what  the  literature  of  travel  was  Avhen 
Columbus  discovered  the  West  Indies,*  Cabot  Labrador,  and 

*  San  Domingo  has  been  well  named  "  the  vestibule  of  American  discovery 
and  colonization ;"  that  island  having  long  been  the  headquarters  and  rendez 
vous  of  Columbus,  and  the  scene  of  his  first  success  and  subsequent  misfor 
tunes  :  it  was  thither  that  the  animals  and  plants  originally  introduced  to  this 
country  from  Europe  were  brought ;  there  was  the  first  white  colony  established 
on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic ;  and  there,  at  present,  seems  to  be  the  most  flour 
ishing  and  promising  free  negro  population.  A  full  and  interesting  account  of 
this  island,  whose  future  is  fraught  with  interest,  was  recently  read  before  the 
N.  Y.  Geographical  Society,  and  is  published  by  G.  P.  Putnam,  of  New  York. 


EARLY   DISCOVERERS   AND   EXPLORERS.  21 

Vespucci  gave  a  name  to  this  continent — instead  of  wonder 
ing  at  the  meagre  details  and  extravagant  generalities  of  those 
primitive  accounts  of  the  New  World,  we  should  rather  congrat 
ulate  ourselves  on  the  amount  and  kind  of  authentic  material 
which  Navarette  collected  and  arranged  and  Irving  gracefully 
elaborated  in  his  Life  of  the  Discoverer  of  America.  It  is 
quite  an  abrupt  transition  from  the  glowing  fables  that  im 
mediately  precede  the  first  chapter  of  our  regular  history,  to 
perceive  and  admit  the  fact  that  "  shoals  of  cod  "  really  estab 
lished  the  earliest  practical  mutual  interest  between  Europe 
and  America  ;  and  that  the  Newfoundland  fisheries  formed  the 
original  nucleus  whereby  originated  the  extraordinary  emi 
gration  which,  from  that  day  to  the  present,  has  continued  to 
people  this  hemisphere  with  the  representatives  of  every  race, 
country,  and  lineage  of  Europe.  The  old  navigators  were  the 
pioneers — Spanish  and  Portuguese ;  in  1512,  Ponce  de  Leon 
commenced  his  romantic  quest  in  the  Bahamas ;  eight  years 
later,  Magellan  finished  the  demonstration  Columbus  began, 
by  circumnavigating  the  globe ;  in  1524,  the  Florentine  mar 
iner  Verrazzauo  anchored  in  the  bay  of  New  York ;  in  1528, 
Narvaez  was  in  Florida ;  in  1539,  De  Soto  discovered  the 
Mississippi ;  in  1540,  France  commenced  the  colonization  of 
the  country  around  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  in  1606  was 
granted  the  first  charter  of  Virginia;  in  1610,  the  Dutch 
began  to  trade  with  the  aborigines  of  the  Hudson ;  and  in 
1620,  the  "Mayflower"  arrived  at  Plymouth. 

For  a  long  period,  when  the  fisheries  of  Newfoundland 
were  the  only  attraction  and  the  chief  promise  to  European 
adventure,  the  whole  country  was  spoken  of  and  written 
about  by  a  French  appellative  signifying  codfish  ;  and  during 
another  era,  Florida,  the  name  .given  to  their  southern  settle 
ment  by  the  Spaniards,  was  applied  to  the  whole  extent  of  the 
coast ;  while  Virginia,  whereby  the  Jamestown  colony  was 
called  from  the  Virgin  Queen,  whose  favorite  Raleigh  was 
patentee  thereof,  designated  an  indefinite  extent  of  country, 
and  on  the  old  maps  and  in  the  current  parlance  stood  for 
America  to  Englishmen :  a  German  writer  laments  that  one 


22  AMEKICA   AND   HEE    COMMENT ATOES. 

of  those  names  was  not  retained  as  national — instead  of  being 
confined  to  a  single  State  ;  arguing  their  better  adaptation  to 
indicate  a  flourishing  and  a  virgin  land  than  the  vague  terms 
America  and  the  United  States.  One  reason  why  a  citizen  of 
the  latter  is  so  often  startled  at  the  ignorance  of  rustics  and 
provincials  on  the  Continent,  in  confounding  North  and  South 
America,  is  that  the  products  of  the  latter,  some  of  which  are 
in  prevalent  use  in  Europe,  are  known  merely  as  American 
productions. 

The  decadence  of  Spain  and  the  growth  of  England  are 
intimately  associated  with  the  settlement  of  America.  The 
introduction  from  the  latter  country  into  Europe  of  the 
potato,  maize,  and  tobacco,  has  exerted  an  influence  and  pro 
duced  results  far  transcending  the  more  obvious  economical 
consequences.  Upon  maritime  enterprise  and  interests,  in 
cluding  both  legal  and  scientific  progress,  the  discovery  and 
settlement  of  the  New  World  produced  effects  incalculable. 
While  the  priests  and  the  fur  traders  who  explored  Canada 
achieved  little  beyond  the  local  and  often  temporary  establish 
ment  of  depots,  forts,  and  chapels,  and  left  in  the  memory 
of  Champlain  a  foreign  tradition  rather  than  a  fresh  national 
development,  the  colonization  of  the  Atlantic  slope  embodied 
and  conserved  a  new  political  development,  and  identified  the 
country  with  progressive  industry,  religious  toleration,  free 
citizenship,  educational  privileges,  and  an  economical  rule. 
Newfoundland  became  a  school  for  English  seamen ;  New 
Belgium  preserved  and  propagated  the  social  enfranchise 
ment  and  instinct  of  liberty  wrested  in  the  Netherlands  from 
the  cruel  despotism  of  Spain  ;  French  Protestants  found  scope 
and  safety  in  the  Carolinas,  and  English  Puritans  a  bleak  but 
vital  realm  in  New  England. 

Those  formid able-looking  folios  in  old  Latin  type,  and 
with  the  imprint  of  Venice  or  Amsterdam,  dear  to  anti 
quarians,  wherein  the  old  navigators,  through  some  medieAral 
scholar's  pen,  registered  for  the  future  bibliopole  and  histo 
rian  the  journal  of  their  American  voyages,  constitute  the  first 
records  of  travel  there,  although  mainly  devoted  to  descrip- 


EARLY   DISCOVEEEES   AND   EXPLOEEES.  23 

tions  of  the  coast  and  adjacent  waters.  These  now  rare  tomes 
are  curious  from  their  quaint  antiquity — the  combination  of  • 
fact  and  fiction,  statements  which  are  confirmed  to-day  by  the 
measurement  of  bays  and  the  aspect  of  nature,  and  fabulous 
exaggerations  obviously  born  of  honest  credulity  or  super 
stitious  faith — and  according,  in  their  obsolete  wonderment, 
with  the  primitive  style  and  appearance  of  the  venerable 
books.  Very  curious  also  are  the  illustrations  which  repre 
sent,  in  stiff  and  artificial  designs,  the  fields  of  maize  and 
tobacco  and  the  Indian  games  and  ceremonials  which  form 
the  marvellous  but  monotonous  features  of  those  first 
glimpses  which  the  Old  World  obtained  of  the  New.  De  Bry's 
Collection  of  Voyages  and  Travels  to  America,  comprised  in 
parts,  and  printed  in  folio  at  Frankfort-on-the-Main  in  1590, 
is  the  most  copious  repertory  of  these  ancient  records.  Flor 
ida  and  Virginia  are  described  as  "  gardens  of  the  desert," 
and  the  heroes  of  romance  cluster  around  the  narrative  of 
their  partially  explored  resources,  new  products,  and  myste 
rious  natives. 

Most  venerable  of  all,  however,  is  the  "  Imago  Mundi "  of 
Petrus  de  Alyaco  that  inspired  Columbus,  of  which  Irving 
says : 

"  Being  at  Seville,  and  maldng  researches  in  the  Bibliothcca  Colum- 
bina,  the  library  given  by  Fernando  Colnmbus  to  the  cathedral  of 
the  city,  I  came  accidentally  upon  the  above-mentioned  copy  of  the 
work  of  Peter  Aliaco.  It  is  an  old  volume  in  folio,  bound  in  parch 
ment,  published  soon  after  the  invention  of  printing,  containing  a 
collection  in  Latin  of  astronomical  and  cosmographical  tracts  of  Pedro 
de  Aliaco  and  of  his  disciple  John  Gerson.  Aliaco  was  the  author  of 
many  works,  and  one  of  the  most  learned  and  ingenious  men  of  his 
day.  Las  Casas  is  of  opinion  that  his  writings  had  more  effect  in 
stimulating  Columbus  to  the  enterprise  than  those  of  any  other  author. 
His  work  was  so  familiar  to  Columbus  that  he  had  filled  its  whole 
margin  with  Latin  notes,  in  his  handwriting,  citing  many  things 
which  he  had  read  and  gathered  elsewhere.  '  This  book,  which  was 
very  old,'  continues  Las  Casas,  '  I  had  many  times  in  my  hands,  and 
I  drew  some  things  from  it,  written  in  Latin,  by  the  said  Admiral 
Christopher  Columbus,  to  verify  certain  points  appertaining  to  his 
history,  of  which  I  before  was  in  doubt.'  " 


24:  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

Then,  among  others,  there  is  a  "  General  Description  of 
America,"  by  P.  d'Avity  (Paris,  1637)  ;  "  News  from  Amer 
ica  "  (Rouen,  1678) ;  "  De  Vries's  Voyage  ; "  the  famous  "  Re 
lation  of  Virginia"  (1615),  and  many  other  local  treatises  and 
more  or  less  authentic  accounts  written  to  beguile  adventur 
ers,  celebrate  discoveries,  or  ventilate  controversy  respecting 
the  boundless  land  of  promise  to  military  and  religious,  polit 
ical  and  rapacious  adventure.  Many,  and  characteristic,  too, 
were  these  early  memorials  of  New  England  colonization, 
tinged  with  the  religious  element  so  largely  developed  in  her 
primitive  annals  ;  as,  for  instance,  "  New  England  Judged  by 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord"  (1661)  ;  "111  News  from  New  Eng 
land,  by  John  Clarke,  of  Rhode  Island  ; "  "  The  New-England 
Canaan"  (Amsterdam,  1632).  The  Spanish  Voyageurs  ;  the 
memorials  of  Raleigh,  De  Soto,  La  Salle — of  John  Smith, 
Ponce  de  Leon,  Oglethorpe,  Winthrop,  Roger  Williams, 
Hendrik  Hudson — and,  in  short,  of  the  pioneers  in  conquest, 
colonization,  and  civilization,  whether  religious,  agricultural, 
or  administrative,  furnish  a  mine  of  description,  more  or  less 
curious,  whereby  the  original  aspect,  indigenous  products,  and 
theoretical  estimates  of  America  may  be  learned  in  part,  and 
inferred  from  or  compared  with  later  and  more  complete 
explorations  and  reports.  A  vast  number  of  works  devoted 
to  this  country  appeared  during  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth 
centuries  ;  and  they  attest  the  historical  development  incident 
to  the  discovery  of  America  and  the  reaction  of  colonization 
there  upon  European  civilization  ;  but  the  legitimate  literature 
of  travel,  as  we  understand  it,  in  the  New  World,  was  initiated 
by  the  French  missionaries. 

In  the  venerable  records  of  maritime  discovery  and  ex 
ploration,  the  fabulous  and  the  authentic  are  curiously  blended. 
One  of  the  earliest  collectors  of  these  quaint  and  valuable  data 
was  Richard  Hakluyt,  an  English  prebendary,  born  in  London 
in  1553.  His  love  of  nautical  science  and  passion  for  geo 
graphical  research  made  the  acquisition  of  an  original  journal 
of  one  of  those  adventurous  mariners  who  first  visited  any 
part  of  this  continent  or  other  half-explored  region  of  the 


EAELY   DISCOVEEEES   AND   EXPLOEEES.  25 

earth  a  precious  experience.  Hakluyt  was  educated  at  West 
minster  school  and  Oxford ;  he  corresponded  with  the  most 
famous  living  geographers  of  his  day — such  as  Ortelius  and 
Mercator.  A  residence  of  five  years  in  Paris  as  chaplain  to 
the  British  embassy,  gave  him  excellent  opportunities  for  the 
prosecution  of  his  favorite  studies  on  the  Continent ;  and 
these  were  enlarged  on  his  return  to  England,  when  Sir  Wal 
ter  Raleigh  appointed  him  one  of  the  counsellors,  assistants, 
and  adventurers  to  whom  he  assigned  his  patent  for  the  pros 
ecution  of  discoveries  in  America.  To  him  we  owe  the  pres 
ervation  of  numerous  original  accounts  of  English  maritime 
enterprise.  Hallam  remarks  that  the  best  map  of  the  six 
teenth  century  is  to  be  found  in  a  few  copies  of  the  first  edition 
of  Hakluyt's  Voyages.  John  Locke  says  of  the  work  that  it 
is  "  valuable  for  the  good  there  to  be  picked  out."  He  was 
encouraged  in  his  labors  by  Walsingham  and  Sidney.  Few 
documentary  annalists  have  rendered  better  service  to  our 
primitive  history  than  Hakluyt ;  his  publications  made  known 
the  discoveries  of  his  countrymen,  and,  by  disseminating  the 
facts  in  regard  to  America,  encouraged  colonization.  He 
translated  from  the  French,  in  1587,  "  Foure  Voyages  unto 
Florida  by  Captain  Londonniere,"  and  an  improved  edition  of 
Peter  Martyr's  work,  "  De  Novo  Orbe  ; "  but  his  most  cele 
brated  work  is  "  The  Principal  Navigations,  Voyages,  Traf- 
fiques,  and  Discoveries  of  the  English  Nation,  made  by  sea  or 
over  land,  within  the  compass  of  1,500  years."  The  first  edi 
tion  is  extremely  rare ;  but  an  enlarged  one  appeared  in 
1598,  the  third  part  of  which  contains  a  history  of  expedi 
tions  to  North  America  and  the  West  Indies.  His  papers,  at 
his  decease,  became  the  property  of  Rev.  Samuel  Purchas, 
who,  in  1613,  published  that  curious  work,  "Purchas,  his 
Pilgrim,"  two  volumes  of  which  form  a  continuation  of  Hak 
luyt's  Voyages.  From  these  sources  may  be  gleaned  some 
of  the  earliest  authentic  descriptions  of  America.  In  regard 
to  the  indigenous  products,  the  geography,  and  some  details 
of  aboriginal  character  and  customs,  we  recognize  the  honest 
intention  of  the  brave  pioneer  navigators ;  but  their  credu- 
2 


26  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

lity  and  often  their  lively  imagination  are  equally  apparent,  and 
the  style  and  comments  of  Purchas  sometimes  add  to  the 
incongruous  result.  An  eminent  writer  has  justly  defined 
these  collections  of  Hakluyt  and  Purchas  as  "  very  curious 
monuments  of  the  nature  of  human  enterprises,  human  testi 
mony,  and  of  human  affairs.  Much  more  is,  indeed,  oifered  to 
a  refined  and  philosophic  observer,  though  buried  amid  the 
unwieldy  and  unsightly  mass,  than  was  ever  supposed  by  its 
original  readers  or  by  its  first  compilers."  * 

A  very  curious  relic  of  these  primitive  annals  of  discovery 
has  been  renewed  to  modern  readers  by  Conway  Robinson, 
who  so  ably  prepared  for  the  Virginia  Historical  Society  an 
"  Account  of  Voyages  along  the  Atlantic  Coast  of  l^"orth 
America,  1520-1573  ;"  and  a  not  less  curious  antiquarian 
memorial  of  old  times,  in  that  State,  was  printed  for  the  Hak 
luyt  Society,  "  The  Historic  of  Travaile  in  Virginia  Brit- 
tanica."  Of  late  years  every  authentic  document  emanating 
from  or  relating  to  Columbus,  Vespucius,  Cabot,  Drake,  Hud 
son,  La  Haye,  Champlain,  and  other  discoverers  and  explor 
ers,  has  been,  by  the  judicious  liberality  of  historical  and  anti 
quarian  societies,  or  by  private  enterprise,  reproduced,  col 
lated,  and  sometimes  printed  in  fac-simile,  so  that  the  means 
of  tracing  the  original  ideas  and  experience  of  the  old  navi 
gators  have  been  made  accessible  to  studious  comparison  and 
inquiry ;  and,  in  addition  to  such  facilities,  the  jealousy  of 
European  Governments  in  regard  to  their  archives  has,  with 
the  growth  of  intelligence  and  the  love  of  science,  become 
essentially  modified,  so  that  charts,  journals,  commissions, 
original  data  of  all  kinds,  relating  to  early  explorations,  have 
been  and  are  freely  and  sagaciously  consulted  by  geographical 
and  historical  scholars.f 

*  "  Lectures  on  Modern  History,"  by  Prof.  Smythc. 

f  Among  other  important  collections — besides  those  of  Do  Bry,  Hakluyt, 
Purchas,  and  De  Tries — may  be  mentioned  that  by  Murray  (Lond.  1839), 
and  Ternaux-Compan's  "Voyages,  Relations  et  Memoirs  Originaux  pour 
servir  a  histoire  de  la  decouverte  de  1'Amerique,"  in  ten  vols. ;  and  "  Ameri 
ca,  being  the  latest  and  most  accurate  description  of  the  New  World,  &c., 


EARLY   DISCOVERERS   AND   EXPLORERS.  27 

There  is  an  absence  of  details  in  most  of  these  early 
chronicles,  which  indicates  but  a  superficial  and  limited  explo 
ration,  such  as  the  dangers  and  difficulties  adequately  explain. 
Yet  sufficient  is  recorded  to  afford  materials  for  the  his 
torian  and  the  naturalist,  who  aim  at  fixing  the  time  and 
indicating  the  original  aspect  of  those  portions  of  the  conti 
nent  that  were  first  visited  by  Europeans,  and  have  since  be 
come,  through  the  early  appreciation  of  their  natural  advan 
tages,  the  centre  of  prosperous  civilization.  Thus,  in  Yan 
der  Dock's  account  of  New  Netherlands  in  1659,  he  describes 
the  rigors  of  winter  on  the  coast,  the  numerous  whales  that 
frequented  the  then  lonely  waters  where  is  now  congregated 
the  shipping  of  the  world,  and  mentions  the  fact  that  two  of 
these  leviathans  in  1647  grounded  forty  miles  up  the  river, 
and  infected  the  air  for  miles  with  the  effluvia  of  their  de 
composition.  The  abundance  and  superior  quality  of  the  oys 
ters,  the  wild  strawberries,  the  maize,  grapes,  hazelnuts, 
sheephead  and  sturgeons,  are  noted  with  the  appreciative  em 
phasis  of  a  Dutch  epicure ;  and  that  is  a  memorable  picture 
to  the  visitor  at  Albany  to-day,  which  presents  to  his  mind's 
eye  Hendrik  Hudson  receiving  tobacco,  beans,  and  otter  and 
beaver  skins  from  the  natives,  environed  by  a  dense  forest. 

Of  the  primitive  reports  of  colonial  explorers  and  settlers, 
none  has  so  vivid  a  personal  interest  as  that  of  Captain 
John  Smith  :  the  romantic  story  of  Pocahontas  alone  embalms 
his  name.  Sent  out  by  the  London  Company  in  1606,  his  party 
landed  at  Jamestown  on  the  13th  of  May  of  that  year;  he 
returned  to  England  in  1609,  and  five  years  afterward  ex 
plored  the  coast  of  America  from  the  Penobscot  to  Cape  Cod. 
In  1615,  having  commenced  another  voyage,  he  was  made 
prisoner  by  the  French,  and  did  not  succeed,  on  regaining  his 
liberty,  in  securing  occupation  again  in  American  exploration, 
although  he  sought  it  with  earnestness.  Captain  Smith  died  in 
London  in  1631.  His  "  True  Travels,  Adventures,  and  Obser 
vations  "  was  published  in  1629.  His  map,  tract  on  Yirginia, 

collected  from  the  most  authentic  authors,  and  adorned  with  maps  and  sculp 
ture,  by  John  Ogilby,"  folio,  London,  1675. 


28  AMERICA  'AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

and  "  Description  of  New  England,"  attest  his  claims  to  a  better 
recompense  than  he  received  :  "  In  neither  of  these  two  coun 
tries,"  he  writes,  "  have  I  one  foot  of  land,  nor  the  very  house 
I  builded,  nor  the  ground  I  digged  with  my  own  hands,  nor 
any  content  or  satisfaction  at  all."  The  original  editions  of 
Smith's  several  works  relating  to  America  are  very  rare : 
some  of  them  have  been  reprinted  in  historical  collections. 
His  most  extensive  work  is  "  The  General  History  of  Vir 
ginia,  New  England,  and  the  Summer  Isles,"  prepared  at  the 
request  of  the  London  Company,  and  illustrated  with  portraits 
and  maps.  The  period  described  is  from  1584  to  1626. 
These  writings  are  curious  rather  than  satisfactory ;  valuable 
as  records  of  pioneer  experience  and  memorials  of  the  early 
settlements  :  they  were  written  to  inform,  and  in  their  day 
were  of  great  practical  value ;  but,  except  for  aboriginal 
details  and  geographical  facts,  their  authority  and  interest 
have  long  been  superseded.  Yet  no  American  can  look  upon 
the  old  church  of  St.  Sepulchre  in  London,  where  Captain 
John  Smith  was  buried,  without  recalling  that  intrepid  charac 
ter,  and  associating  it  with  the  early  fortunes  of  his  native 
land.  It  is  characteristic  of  this  remarkable  man  that  his 
favorite  authors,  when  a  youth,  were  Macchiavelli's  "Art  of 
War,"  and  the  Maxims  of  Antoninus — two  books,  says  the  last 
Mid  best  translator  of  the  latter,  admirably  fitted  to  form  the 
character  of  a  soldier  and  a  man.*  He  describes  the  animals, 
vegetables,  soil,  and  rivers  with  quaint  and  brief  eulogium 
— declaring  Virginia  "  the  poor  man's  best  countrie  in  the 
world."  f 

Among  these  primitive  travels  is  a  small  quarto  in  anti 
quated  type,  entitled  "  America  Painted  to  the  Life,  by  Fer- 

*  George  Long. 

f  "  The  Generall  Historic  of  Virginia,  New  England,  and  the  Summer  Isles, 
with  the  names  of  the  Adventurers,  Planters,  and  Governours,  from  their  first 
beginning,  anno  1584,  to  this  present  1626.  With  the  proceedings  of  those 
severall  Colonies  and  the  accidents  that  befell  them  in  all  their  journeys  and 
discoveries.  Also  the  Maps  and  descriptions  of  all  those  countryes,  their  com 
modities,  people,  government,  customes,  and  religion  yet  knowne.  Divided 
into  sixe  bookes."  Folio,  pp.  148,  engraved  title  and  one  map,  London,  1632. 


EARLY   DISCOVERERS    AND    EXPLORERS.  29 

nando  Gorges,  Esq.,"  published  in  London  in  1649.*  The 
author  says,  "  all  that  part  of  the  continent  of  New  England 
which  was  allotted  by  patent  to  my  grandfather,  Sir  Ferdi 
nand  Gorges  and  his  heires,  he  thought  fit  to  call  by  the  name 
of  the  province  of  Maine,"  which,  we  are  told,  then  extended 
from  the  Penobscot  to  the  Hudson  ;  and  was  rented  for  two 
shillings  per  annum  the  hundred  acres.  Sir  Fernando  ex 
pended  twenty  thousand  pounds  in  his  American  enterprises. 
The  work  by  his  grandson,  descriptive  thereof,  contains  the 
usual  details  as  to  products,  politics,  sects,  and  Indians :  an 
allusion  to  a  feast  of  the  latter  would  seem  to  indicate  an  early 
origin  for  the  famous  pudding  called  huckleberry.  The  occa 
sion  was  a  council,  to  which  the  Boston  magistrates  were 
invited.  "  The  Indian  king,  hearing  of  their  coining,  gath 
ered  together  his  counsellors  and  a  great  number  of  his  sub 
jects  to  give  them  entertainment ; " — the  materials  of  which 
are  described  thus :  "  boiled  chestnuts  in  their  white  bread, 
which  is  very  sweet,  as  if  they  were  mixed  with  sugar — and, 
because  they  would  be  extraordinary  in  the  feasting,  they 
strove  for  variety  after  the  English  manner,  boyling  puddings 
made  of  beaten  corne,  putting  therein  great  store  of  blackber 
ries  somewhat  like  currants."  A  quaint  and  compendious 
account  is  given  of  the  first  settlement  of  Springfield,  in  Mas 
sachusetts — the  few  facts  related  giving  a  vivid  idea  of  the 
economical  and  social  condition  of  that  now  flourishing  town, 
in  1645.  "  About  this  time,  one  Mr.  Pinchin,  sometime  a 
magistrate,  having,  by  desire  to  better  his  estate,  settled  him- 

*  "  At  the  same  time,  Sir  Ferdinand  Gorges  was  gathering  information  of  the 
native  Americans,  whom  he  had  received  at  Weymouth,  and  whose  descrip 
tions  of  the  country,  joined  to  the  favorable  views  which  he  had  already  im 
bibed,  filled  him  with  the  strongest  desire  of  becoming  a  proprietary  of  domains 
beyond  the  Atlantic." — BANCROFT'S  History  of  the  United  States,  vol.  i. 

When,  in  1643,  the  commissioners  from  Plymouth,  New  Haven,  Say 
brook,  &c.,  assembled  at  Boston,  "  being  all  desirous  of  union  and  studious  of 
peace,"  none  of  "  Sir  Ferdinand  Gorges,  his  "province  beyond  Piscataqua, 
were  received  nor  called  into  the  confederation,  because  they  ran  a  different 
course  from  us,  both  in  their  ministry  and  civil  government." — WINTHROP'S 
Journal. 


30  AMERICA   AND    HER   COMMENTATORS. 

self  very  remote  from  all  the  churches  of  Christ  in  the  Massa 
chusetts  Government,  upon  the  river  of  Conectico,  yet  under 
their  government,  he  having  some  godly  persons  resorting 
unto  him,  they  erected  a  town  and  church  of  Christ,  calling  it 
Springfield ;  it  lying  on  this  large  navigable  river,  hath  the 
benefit  of  transporting  their  goods  by  water,  and  also  fitly 
seated  for  a  bever  trade  with  the  Indians,  till  the  merchants 
increased  so  many,  that  it  became  little  worth  by  reason  of 
their  outbuying  one  another,  which  caused  them  to  live  upon 
husbandry.  This  town  is  mostly  built  along  the  river  side 
and  upon  some  little  rivulets  of  the  same.  There  hath,  of  late 
been  more  than  one  or  two  in  this  town  greatly  suspected  of 
witchery."  Here  we  have  the  pious  and  shrewd  motives  of 
the  early  settlers,  the  initiation  of  free  trade  and  their  primi 
tive  political  economy,  and  superstition  quaintly  hinted.  How 
curious  to  compare  the  picture  of  that  little  town  and  church 
so  "  very  remote  "  from  others  in  the  colony,  the  "  bever 
trade  with  the  Indians,"  and  the  destructive  rivalry  therein — 
the  lonely  river  in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness,  and  the  godly 
pioneer  who  came  there  "  to  better  his  estate,"  and  the  "  sus 
picions  of  witchery  " — with  the  populous,  bustling  scene  of 
railway  travel,  manufactures,  horse  fairs,  churches,  schools, 
trade,  and  rural  prosperity,  now  daily  familiar  to  hundreds 
of  travellers. 

It  is  remarkable  how  some  of  these  obsolete  records  link 
themselves  with  the  interests  and  the  questions  of  the  passing 
hour.  What  more  appropriate  commentary,  for  instance, 
upon  the  provincial  egotism  of  Virginia,  can  be  imagined 
than  the  statement  of  Childs,  a  man  of  authority  in  his  day, 
in  England,  that  while  some  cavaliers  found  refuge  there, 
many  of  the  colonists  were  outcasts,  and  their  emigration  the 
alternative  for  imprisonment  or  penal  exile  ? 

One  of  the  most  suggestive  and  authentic  records  whence 
we  derive  a  true  idea  of  the  social  tendencies  and  the  natural 
phenomena  amid  which  the  American  character  was  bred  in 
the  Eastern  States  is  the  journal  of  John  Winthrop.  Its  very 
monotony  reflects  the  severe  routine  of  life  then  and  there ; 


EAELY   DISCOVEEEES   AND   EXPLOEEES.  31 

religion  enters  into  and  modifies  domestic  retirement  and 
individual  impulse ;  the  rigors  of  unsubdued  nature  in  a 
northern  climate  are  painfully  manifest :  we  learn  how  isola 
tion,  strict  oversight,  and  ecclesiastical  rule,  the  necessity  of 
labor  and  the  alternations  of  extreme  temperature  disciplined 
and  dwarfed,  purified  and  hardened,  elevated  and  narrowed 
the  associations  and  instincts  of  humanity.  What  a  vivid 
glimpse  of  life  two  hundred  years  ago  in  New  England  do 
the  brief  notes  of  the  first  Governor  of  Massachusetts  afford 
us,  and  how  easy  thence  to  deduce  the  characteristics  and  the 
history  of  those  remarkable  communities,  explain  their  pecu 
liarities,  and  justify  their  tenacious  traits  !  Take  a  few  ran 
dom  extracts  by  way  of  illustration  : 

Nov.  15,  1637. — A  day  of  thanksgiving  for  the  victory  obtained  over 

the  Pequods. 

Mar.  7,  1638. — Mrs.  Hiitchcnson,  being  removed  to  the  Isle  of  Aquid- 
ney,  was  delivered  of  a  monstrous  birth :  Mr.  Cotton  hereupon 
gathered  it  might  signify  her  error  in  denying  inherent  righteous 
ness. 

A  woman  was  judged  to  be  whipped  for  reproaching  the  magistrates. 
Mar.  1,  1638. — A  printing  house  was  begun  at   Cambridge  by  one 
Dave. 

charged  with  taking  above  sixpence  in  the  shilling  profit. 

Mar.  10,  1639. — At  the  General  Court  an  order  was  made  to  abolish 

that  vain  custom  of  drinking  one  to  another. 
In  this  winter,  in  a  close  calm  day,  there  fell  down  diverse  flakes  of 

snow  of  this  form    ^ ,  very  thin,  and  exactly  pointed  as  art  would 

have  cut  them  in  paper. 

Sep.  20,  1630.—  The  wolves  killed  six  calves  at  Salem. 
May  13,  1632. — The  French  came    in  a  pinnace  to  Penobscott  and 

rifled  a  trucking  house  belonging  to  Plimouth,  carrying  away 

three  hundred  weight  of  beaver. 
Nov.  5. — The  congregation  at  Watertown  discharged  elder for 

intemperance  in  speech. 
Jan.  17. — A  servant  of  Mr.  Skelton  lost  her  way,  and  was  several 

days  in  the  woods,  and  half  frozen. 
June  1,  1633. — A  Scotchman  by  prayer  and  fasting  dispossessed  one 

possessed  of  the  devil. 

Droughts,  freshets,  meteors,  intense  cold  and  heat,  terrific 
storms,  calm  beautiful  days,  conflagrations,  epidemics,  Indian 


32  AMEKICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

massacres,  alternate  in  the  record  with  constant  church  trials, 
reprimands  and  controversies,  public  whippings  and  memor 
able  sermons,  occasional  and  long-desired  arrivals  from  Eng 
land,  the  establishment  of  a  college  and  printing  press,  local 
emigrations  and  perilous  adventure  ;  wherein  bigotry  and  the 
highest  fortitude,  superstitions  and  acute  logic,  privation  and 
cheerful  toil,  social  despotism  and  individual  rectitude  indicate 
a  rare  and  rigid  school  of  life  and  national  development. 

Among  the  first  colonial  tributes  of  the  muse  descriptive 
of  the  New  World  was  "  New  England's  Prospect,"  a  true, 
living,  and  experimental  description  of  that  part  of  America 
commonly  called  New  England,  by  William  Wood.  It  was 
published  in  London  in  1635.  The  author  lived  four  years  in 
the  region  he  pictures,  and  states  in  the  preface  to  his  metrical 
tract  his  intention  to  return  there.  He  gives  a  rhymed  ac 
count  of  the  colony's  situation,  and  dilates  upon  the  habits  of 
the  aborigines.  The  scene  of  the  poem  is  Boston  and  its  vicin 
ity,  and  the  versified  catalogue  of  indigenous  trees  is  interest 
ing,  as  probably  the  first  record  of  the  kind.  "  Cheerful  Wil 
liam  Wood  "  tells  us,  in  delineating  the  country  along  the  Mer- 
rimack,  that 

"  Trees  both  in  hills  and  plains  in  plenty  be, 
The  long-lived  oak  and  mournful  cypris  tree, 
Sky-towering  pines  and  chestnuts  coated  rough, 
The  lasting  cedar,  with  the  walnut  tough  : 
The  rosin-dropping  fir  for  masts  in  use ; 
The  boatman  seeks  for  oares  light,  neat-growne  sprewse  ; 
The  brittle  ashe,  the  ever  trembling  aspes, 
The  broad-spread  elm  whose  concave  harbors  wasps, 
The  water-springie  alder,  good  for  nought," 

<fcc.,  &c.  A  more  elaborate  attempt  at  a  primitive  natural  his 
tory  of  the  same  region  is  "  New  England's  Rarities  Discov 
ered,"  by  John  Josselyn,  published  in  1672.  The  first  explorer 
of  the  Alleghanies,  John  Lederer,  wrote  in  Latin  an  account 
of  "  Three  several  Marches  from  Virginia  to  the  West  of  Caro 
lina  and  other  parts  of  the  Continent,  begone  in  March,  1669, 
and  ended  in  September,  1670."  Sir  William  Talbot  made 
and  published  an  English  translation  in  1672.  The  Westover 
Manuscripts,  published  by  Edmund  Ruffin,  of  Virginia,  in 


EAELY   DISCOVERERS   AND   EXPLOEEES.  33 

1841,  describe  expeditions  conducted  by  William  Byrd,  in 
1728,  wherein  much  curious  information  of  Southern  life, 
resources,  and  manners,  at  that  period,  is  given. 

Governor  Bradford,  who  succeeded  Carver  as  chief  magis 
trate  of  the  Plymouth  Colony,  left  also  a  poetical  description 
of  New  England — which,  though  a  fragment,  is  a  singular 
literary  relic  of  those  days — the  aspect  of  the  country  and 
"  spirit  of  the  Pilgrims."  But  a  better  known  and  more 
copious  as  well  as  quaint  memorial  of  colonial  life  in  the  old 
Bay  State,  and  one  which  Hawthorne  has  evidently  pondered 
to  advantage,  is  to  be  found  in  the  theories  of  Cotton  Mather, 
illustrated  as  they  are  by  the  facts  of  his  career  and  the  inci 
dental  local  and  personal  details  of  the  "  Magnalia  : "  although 
it  appeared  in  London  printed  in  folio  in  1702,  not  until  1820 
was  it  republished  in  America.  Odd,  credulous,  learned, 
speculative,  narrow,  and  anecdotical,  this  and  his  other  books 
reflect  the  times  and  country. 

There  lived  in  Medford,  Mass.,  more  than  a  century  ago, 
a  clergyman's  daughter  and  wife,  Jane  Turrel,  who  wrote 
graceful  and  feeling  verses,  some  of  which  have  been  pre 
served  as  early  specimens  of  the  New  England  muse.  In  one 
of  her  pieces,  called  "  An  Invitation  to  the  Country,"  she 
enumerates  the  fruits  and  other  delicacies  with  which  she  pro 
poses  to  regale  the  expected  guest ;  and  we  learn  therefrom 
that  one  indigenous  product  of  the  woods,  now  only  found  at 
a  distance  from  the  scene,  was  then  a  familiar  luxury : 

The  blushing  peach  and  glossy  plum  there  lies, 
And  with  the  mandrake  tempt  your  hands  and  eyes. 

A  class  of  publications,  which  belong  neither  to  the  de 
partment  of  travels  nor  memoirs,  but  which  contain  many  im 
portant  and  specific  facts  and  comments  in  regard  to  the  origi 
nal  aspect,  resources,  and  character  of  the  country,  while  yet 
a  colonial  territory,  remains  to  be  noticed.  These  are  the 
various  publications  descriptive,  statistical,  and  controversial, 
which  motives  of  interest  and  curiosity  elicited  from  the 
early  emigrants,  agents,  and  official  representatives  of  the 
2* 


34:  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

different  colonies.  They  are  chiefly  in  the  form  of  tracts  : 
many  of  them  crude  and  quaint  in  style,  inadequate  and  desul 
tory  ;  some  obviously  inspired  by  the  hope  of  alluring  emi 
gration  ;  others  suggested  by  a  spirit  of  rivalry  between  the 
different  settlements ;  some  are  honestly  descriptive,  others 
absurdly  exaggerated  ;  the  theological  and  political  questions 
of  the  day,  whether  local  or  administrative,  gave  birth  to 
countless  writings  ;  most  of  them  are  curious,  some  valuable 
from  their  details  and  authenticity,  and  others  as  unique  illus 
trations  of  history  and  manners  :  passages  might  be  gleaned 
from  not  a  few  of  these  ancient  brochures,  which  would  favor 
ably  compare  with  more  elaborate  works  written  by  educated 
travellers  in  America.  The  greater  part  of  these  now  rare 
and  costly  literary  relics  of  our  country  at  the  dawn  of  and 
immediately  subsequent  to  its  civilization,  refer  to  Virginia 
and  New  England ;  next  in  number  are  those  devoted  to 
Florida ;  the  tracts  which  discuss  and  describe  the  Carolinas, 
Maryland,  and  Pennsylvania  being  comparatively  few  ;  while 
those  that  refer  to  Canada  are  multifarious.  These  primitive 
records  of  colonization  often  yield  invaluable  hints  to  the 
philosopher  and  historian  ;  although  a  vast  proportion  of 
them  have  lost  their  significance,  and  are  more  attractive  to 
the  bibliopole  and  the  antiquarian  than  the  general  reader. 
In  the  form  of  letters,  appeals,  protests,  advertisements,  pic 
turesque  or  economical  narratives,  such  incidental  records  not 
unfrequently  conserve  an  incident,  a  law,  a  fact  of  nature  or 
government,  of  natural,  political,  or  social  history,  that  has  a 
permanent  interest.  Buckminster  early  called  attention  to 
the  importance  of  preserving  every  publication  relating  to 
America,  however  apparently  trivial,  as  a  resource  for  his 
torians  ;  and  societies  and  individuals  have  since  emulated 
each  other  in  the  purchase  and  collection  of  these  scattered 
data.* 

As   early  as  1547  there  was  printed  an   account  of  the 

*  One  of  the  most  remarkable  private  collections  is  that  of  John  Carter 
Brown,  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  whose  library  contains  over  five  thousand  publi 
cations  relating  to  America,  all  of  a  date  anterior  to  1800,  bound,  lettered, 
and  classified  in  the  most  convenient  manner. 


EARLY   DISCOVERERS    ASTD   EXPLORERS.  35 

"  Medical  Substances  discovered  in  America ; "  and  a  nar 
rative  of  the  deeds  and  habits  of  the  once  formidable  bucca 
neers,  who  infested  the  coast  (and  the  traditions  regarding 
whom  gave  the  elder  Dana  a  subject  which  he  treated  with 
effective  interest  in  an  elaborate  poem),  was  published  in 
1685  :  ten  years  later  we  find  a  catalogue  of  American 
plants ;  and  the  query  of  a  native  poet  in  enumerating  the 
subjects  of  permanent  curiosity  as  yet  unsatisfied — "Did 
Israel's  missing  tribes  find  refuge  here  ?  " — was  partially  an 
swered  in  1651,  by  a  treatise  on  "The  Jews  in  America." 
Numerous  publications  relating  to  the  fisheries  indicate  at 
how  early  a  date  that  branch  of  native  economy  assumed 
important  relations  in  the  eyes  of  Europeans,  while  such 
titles  of  current  tracts  as  "  On  the  Scheme  of  Sending  Bish 
ops  to  America,"  and  "  The  Present  Disposition  of  English, 
Scots,  and  Irish  to  Emigrate  "  thither,  suggest  how  early  the 
national  tendencies  of  the  colonies  were  regarded  as  sig 
nificant  of  future  political  results.  In  1789,  when  their 
character  and  destiny  had  grown  formidable  and  definite, 
more  general  speculations  occupied  British  writers,  and  an 
essay  of  that  year  discusses  the  "  Influence  of  the  Discovery 
of  America  on  the  Happiness  of  Mankind."  Indeed,  we  have 
but  to  glance  over  any  catalogue  of  publications  relating  to 
this  country  to  perceive  that  the  theme  has  afforded  a  con 
venient  pretext,  if  not  a  special  motive,  to  treat  of  almost 
every  subject  connected  with  political,  religious,  and  social 
interests :  printing,  witchcraft,  revivals,  trade,  currency,  in 
oculation,  meteors,  unitarianism,  and  agriculture,  alternate  in 
the  list  with  tracts  on  natural  history,  the  fur  trade,  expedi 
tions,  and  accounts  of  Spanish,  Dutch,  Danish,  Swedish,  French, 
and  English  settlements ;  until  these  brief  and  special  gave 
place  to  more  complex  and  generalized  views,  wherein  Amer 
ica  is  "  dissected  by  a  divine,"  "  compared  with  England," 
and  made  the  subject  of  "  summary  views  "  and  "  surveys," 
"  sketches,"  "  random  shots,"  "  recollections,"  and  criticism 
of  all  kinds  and  degrees  of  perspicacity  and  prejudice.  It  is 
seldom,  even  when  such  works  had  multiplied  incalculably, 
that  the  authors  write  under  a  nom  de  plume  ;  but  there  are 


36  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

exceptions,  as  the  Lettres  Anonymous  of  "  Rubio,"  "  J.  M.  B," 
"  A  Citizen  of  Edinburgh,"  "  A  Rugbean,"  "  New  Englander," 
"  Southron,"  "  Yankee,"  "  Fur  Trader,"  etc. 

To  no  single  individual  will  the  seeker  for  original  me 
morials  of  American  civilization,  nationality,  and  development 
recognize  higher  obligations  than  to  the  venerable,  assiduous, 
and  disinterested  Peter  Force,  of  Washington,  whose  "  Nation 
al  Calendar  and  Annals  of  the  United  States"  (1820-'36),  and 
whose  "  Tracts  and  Papers,  Relating  to  the  Origin,  Settle 
ment,  and  Progress  of  the  Colonies  in  North  America,  from 
the  Discovery  of  the  Country  to  the  Year  1776  "  (1836-'46), 
are  a  mine  of  precious  and  peerless  historical  materials,  as  a 
glance  at  the  contents  of  the  collections  and  of  those  not  yet 
published  will  satisfy  the  reader.  It  is  true  that  most  of 
these  tracts  and  documents  refer  to  matters  of  government, 
polity,  and  public  events,  and  can  be  rarely  classed  under  the 
literature  of  travel,  yet  many  of  them  incidentally  include 
its  most  desirable  features,  and  some  of  them  are  "  descrip 
tions,"  "  relations,"  "  narratives,"  and  "  accounts,"  which,  in 
their  homely  details  and  quaint  sincerity,  bring  out  the  life, 
'the  manners,  and  the  physical  aspect  of  Georgia  and  Massa 
chusetts,  Maryland  and  Carolina,  Virginia  and  New  England, 
in  the  earliest  colonial  times,  quite  in  the  spirit  of  the  old 
travellers.  The  enthusiasm  and  perseverance  whereby  was 
realized  the  great  enterprise  of  collecting  and  preserving  for 
future  generations  these  inestimable  memorials  of  the  Past  of 
America,  are  unprecedented  in  this  country  as  an  example  of 
intelligent  and  self-devoted  patriotism.* 

*  Quite  an  elaborate  sketch  of  the  "  History  of  Discovery  in  America, 
from  Columbus  to  Franklin,"  has  recently  appeared  in  Germany,  from  the 
pen  of  that  intelligent  and  indefatigable  author  of  valuable  books  of  travel,  J. 
G.  Kohl.  The  work  is  confessedly  incomplete  and  somewhat  desultory,  but 
full  of  interesting  facts  and  speculations.  A  translation,  by  Major  R.  R.  Noel, 
was  published  in  London  early  in  the  present  year.  "  American  Archives : 
consisting  of  a  collection  of  authentic  records,  state  papers,  debates,  and  let 
ters  and  other  notices  of  public  affairs,  the  whole  forming  a  Documentary  His 
tory  of  the  Origin  and  Progress  of  the  North  American  Colonies ;  of  the 
causes  and  accomplishment  of  the  American  Revolution ;  and  of  the  consti 
tution  of  government  for  the  United  States  to  the  final  ratification  thereof." 


CHAPTER    II. 

FRENCH    MISSIONARY    EXPLORATION. 

,    MENARD,   ALLOUEZ,    MARQUETTE,  CHARLEVOIX,    MAREST. 

LONG  after  the  Crusades,  a  spirit  of  adventure  and  a  love 
of  travel  animated  men  whom  religious  faith  or  ecclesiastical 
influence  dedicated  to  the  priesthood.  That  vocation  pre 
sented  the  two  extremes  of  contemplative  and  active  life ; 
and  where  the  temperament  and  the  enthusiasm  or  intelligent 
curiosity  of  the  monk  made  him  impatient  of  routine  or  a 
limited  sphere,  it  was  easy  to  become  a  missionary,  and  thus 
combine  religious  ministrations  with  the  experience  of  travel. 
Accordingly,  some  of  the  earliest  reports  of  the  physical  %  re 
sources  of  the  New  World  were  made  to  the  Old,  by  Catho 
lic  missionaries  ostensibly  braving  its  unexplored  domain  to 
win  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  to  Christianity,  but  now  often 
remembered  chiefly  as  the  pioneer  writers  of  American  travels. 
The  avidity  with  which  information  in  regard  to  this  con* 
tinent  Wias  sought  in  Europe,  immediately  antecedent  and 
subsequent  to  its  colonization — the  interest  felt  in  the  natural 
wonders  and  possible  future  of  an  immense,  productive  and 
uncivilized  country — the  arena  it  afforded  to  baffled  enter 
prise,  the  asylum  it  promised  to  the  persecuted,  the  resources 
it  offered  the  poor — the  conquest  it  invited  from  regal  power 
and  individual  prowess — the  vague  charm  with  which  it 
inspired  the  imaginative,  and  the  fresh  material  it  yielded  so 
abundantly  to  the  votaries  of  knowledge — all  tended  to  make 
America  and  descriptions  thereof  alike  attractive  to  prince 


38  AMEKICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

and  peasant,  scholar,  soldier,  and  citizen.  Few,  indeed,  of  the 
early  missionaries  possessed  the  requisite  qualifications,  either 
scientific  or  literary,  to  make  what  we  should  now  consider 
desirable  writers  of  books  of  travel.  They  either,  through  a 
large  endowment  of  what  phrenologists  call  the  organ  of 
wonder,  exaggerated  the  natural  features  of  the  country,  and 
gave  fanciful  instead  of  genuine  pictures  of  what  they  saw ; 
or,  from  lack  of  knowledge  and  imagination,  confined  them 
selves  to  a  literal  and  limited  recital  of  personal  adventure, 
whence  little  practical  information  was  to  be  derived.  There 
is  a  singular  union  of  extravagance  and  simplicity,  of  the 
fabulous  and  the  true,  of  the  boastful  and  the  heroic,  in  these 
narratives.  It  must  have  required  unusual  discrimination  on 
the  part  of  readers  in  Europe,  seeking  facts,  to  disentangle 
the  wreb  of  reality  and  fiction  so  often  confusedly  woven  in 
such  memoirs  of  travel.  Yet  some  of  them  have  proved  in 
valuable  to  the  historian  of  our  own  day,  as  the  only  known 
repertory  of  authentic  statements  as  to  the  early  productions, 
aspects,  natives,  explorations,  and  phenomena  of  parts  of  this 
continent :  the  integrity  and  patience  of  some  of  these  mission 
ary  authors  are  apparent  in  their  very  style  and  method  ;  and 
many  of  their  assertions  have  been  fully  proved  by  subsequent 
observation  and  contemporary  evidence.  Still,  there  is  no  class 
of  writings  which  must  be  interpreted  with  more  careful  refer 
ence  to  the  character  and  motives  of  the  writers,  to  the  state 
of  scientific  knowledge  at  the  period,  and  to  the  spirit  of  the 
age.  A  certain  credulity,  the  result  of  superstition,  ignorance, 
and  enthusiasm,  was  characteristic  even  of  the  enlightened 
class  of  explorers  then  and  there  ;  and,  when  motives  of  per 
sonal  vanity,  self-aggrandizement,  or  national  rivalry  were 
added  to  these  normal  defects,  it  is  easy  to  imagine  how  few 
of  the  clerical  raconteurs  are  to  be  considered  satisfactory  to 
a  philosophic  inquirer.  On  the  other  hand,  the  singleness  of 
purpose,  the  sincere  Christian  zeal,  the  pure  love  of  nature 
and  of  truth,  and  a  certain  heroic  conscientiousness  of  purpose 
and  of  practice,  make  some  of  these  missionary  travels  in 
America  naive,  suggestive,  and  interesting.  As  representa- 


FKENCII   MISSIONARY   EXPLORATION.  39 

tions  of  what  certain  parts  of  the  country  were  two  hundred 
years  ago,  of  how  nature  looked,  and  what  life  was  here  and 
then,  they  afford  us  a  contrast  so  vivid  and  surprising  to  the 
scene  and  the  life  of  the  present,  that,  on  this  account  alone, 
no  imaginative  mind  can  revert  to  them  without  realizing 
anew  the  mysterious  vicissitudes  of  time  and  place  and  the 
moral  wonder  involved  in  the  settlement,  growth,  and  present 
civilization  of  America. 

Among  the  French  missionaries  whose  travels  on  this 
continent  attracted  much  attention  in  his  own  day,  and,  in 
ours,  are  regarded  at  once  with  curiosity  and  distrust,  was 
Louis  Hennepin,  a  Franciscan.  He  was  a  native  of  Holland, 
and  born  in  the  year  1640.  Quite  early  in  life  the  instinct  of 
travel  asserted  itself;  for,  as  one  of  that  privileged  mendicant 
fraternity  whom  every  traveller  has  encountered  in  Sicily  or 
Spain,  he  wandered  asking  alms  through  Italy  and  Germany. 
It  was  while  thus  following  the  vocation  of  a  pious  beggar 
at  Calais  and  Dunkirk,  that  Hennepin's  wandering  passion 
became  infected  with  that  desire  to  cross  the  sea,  which, 
sooner  or  later,  seizes  upon  all  instinctive  vagabonds.  He 
enlisted  as  a  regimental  chaplain,  and  in  that  capacity  was 
present  at  the  battle  of  Senef,  between  William  of  Orange  and 
the  Prince  of  Conde,  in  1674.  He  had  passed  one  year  as 
preacher  in  Belgium ;  and  had  been  thence  sent  by  his  supe 
rior  to  Artois,  and  subsequently  had  the  charge  of  a  hospital 
for  several  months  in  Holland.  Such  was  the  early  career  of 
Father  Hennepin,  previous  to  entering  upon  his  American 
mission.  He  was  ordered  to  Canada  in  1675,  and  embarked 
at  Rochelle,  with  La  Salle.  Having  preached  a  while  at 
Quebec,  he  went,  the  following  year,  to  the  Indian  mission  at 
Frontenac ;  he  afterward  visited  the  Five  Nations  and  the 
Dutch  settlement  at  Albany,  and  returned  to  Quebec  in  1678. 
When  La  Salle  prepared  to  explore  the  Lakes,  and  des 
patched  the  Chevalier  de  Tonty  and  La  Motte  from  Fort 
Frontenac  to  Niagara,  to  construct  vessels,  Hennepin  was 
attached  to  the  expedition  ;  and,  in  1677,  passed  through 
Lakes  Erie,  Huron,  and  Michigan,  to  the  mouth  of  the  St. 


40  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

Joseph's,  ascended  in  a  canoe  to  the  portage ;  conveying 
their  slender  barks  six  miles  across  the  country  to  the  Kan- 
karee,  they  glided  down  this  stream  and  the  Iroqnois  to  the 
Illinois  river,  and  erected  Fort  Crevecceur,  on  the  spot  where 
now  stands  the  city  of  Peoria. 

It  is  said  that  La  Salle's  conjectures  about  the  Mississippi 
river  "  worked  upon  him  ;  and  that,  zealous  for  the  honor  of 
his  nation,  he  designed  to  signalize  the  French  name."  His 
character  has  been  thus  described  :  "  He  was  a  man  of  regular 
behaviour,  of  a  large  soul,  well  enough  learned,  and  under 
standing  in  the  mathematics ;  designing,  bold,  undaunted, 
dexterous,  insinuating  ;  not  to  be  discouraged  by  anything  ; 
wonderfully  steady  in  adversity ;  and  well  enough  versed  in 
several  savage  languages."  Here  we  have  all  the  requisites 
for  a  great  explorer ;  yet  few  have  achieved  such  fame  to 
endure  such  misfortunes.  "  The  government  of  Fort  Ed 
ward,"  says  his  biographer,  "  which  is  the  place  farthest 
advanced  among  the  savages,  was  given  to  him ;  and  he 
going  over  to  France,  in  1675,  the  king  made  him  proprietor 
of  it ;  he  came  home  with  stories  of  mines,  wild  bullocks,  for 
ests,  &c. ;  and  there  grew  up  a  jealousy  of  him  among  his 
countrymen :  they  thwarted  his  designs  ;  and  after  he  had 
picked  out  forty  or  fifty  of  them  for  a  new  expedition,  and 
had  spent  years  in  going  and  coming,  he  was  once  nearly 
poisoned;  he  conciliated  the  savage  inhabitants,  and  gave 
her  name  to  Louisiana." 

"When,  after  the  lapse  of  a  few  weeks,  La  Salle  was 
obliged  to  return  to  Frontenac  for  supplies,  he  sent  Hennepin 
to  explore  that  mighty  river,  hitherto  only  known  to  Euro 
peans  above  the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin.  The  adventurous 
friar  started  on  this  expedition  in  the  month  of  February, 
1680,  in  his  frail  canoe,  and,  tracking  the  Illinois  to  its  mouth, 
ascended  the  Mississippi  to  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  which  he 
so  named  in  honor  of  his  patron  saint ;  and  was  the  first  Euro 
pean  who  ever  beheld  those  beautiful  rapids  in  the  heart  of 
the  wilderness.  Having  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Fran 
cis  river,  in  what  is  now  Minnesota,  a  stream  which  he  thus 


FRENCH   MISSIONARY   EXPLORATION.  41 

baptized  from  the  founder  of  his  own  religious  order,  Henne- 
pin  again  landed,  and  traversed  the  country  to  the  distance 
of  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles ;  he  sojourned  for  three 
months  among  the  Sioux  Indians  ;  returned  in  safety  to  Que 
bec,  and  soon  after  embarked  for  France ;  and  in  1683  pub 
lished  his  "  Descriptions,"  &c.  This  work  was  the  most  com 
plete  account  of  the  first  expedition  of  La  Salle,  and,  as  such, 
was  sought  for  and  read  with  avidity.  Had  the  record  of 
Hennepin's  career  ended  here,  his  name  would  have  remained 
honorably  associated  with  those  of  other  European  mission 
aries  who,  with  courage  and  probity,  sought  for  and  pro 
claimed  the  wonders  of  the  New  World,  while  planting  there 
in  the  cross  and  the  faith  to  whose  service  he  and  they  were 
pledged.  But,  not  satisfied  with  the  glory  of  a  pioneer  navi 
gator  of  the  Father  of  Waters,  nor  with  the  prestige  of  a 
faithful  attache  to  a  brave  but  unfortunate  chieftain,  or  that 
of  a  self-devoted  minister  of  religion,  in  1697,  ten  years  after 
the  death  of  La  Salle,  Hennepin  audaciously  gave  to  the  world 
his  "  Nouvelle  decouverte  d'un  tres  grand  pays  situe  dans 
1'Amerique  entre  la  Nouveau  Mexique  et  la  Mer  Glaciale ;  * 
claiming  therein  to  have  descended  the  Mississippi  and  com 
pleted,  for  the  first  time,  its  exploration.  The  mere  fact  of 
his  extraordinary  delay  in  announcing  this  remarkable  experi 
ence  is  sufficient  to  make  a  candid  mind  distrustful ;  and  the 
motive  thereto  seems  evident  when  we  remember  how  imme 
diately  this  publication  followed  upon  the  demise  of  the  only 
witness  its  author  had  reason  to  fear.  Accordingly,  Hennepin 
has  been  and  is  regarded  as  untruthful  by  our  own  and  Euro 
pean  historians,  except  in  regard  to  topographical  and  local 
details  confirmed  by  other  testimony  and  by  observation  of 
natural  facts.  Still  his  adventures,  and  the  narrative  thereof 
possess  an  interest  derived  from  their  early  date ;  we  asso 
ciate  them  with  the  first  authentic  glimpses  of  the  new  conti 
nent  iii  its  vast  Western  phase  which  were  attained  by  Euro- 

*  "  New  Discovery  of  a  Vast  Country  in  America,  extending  above  4,000 
Miles,  between  Xew  France  and  New  Mexico,"  &c.,  map  and  plates,  London, 
1698. 


42  AMEKICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

peans  ;  we  cannot  but  imagine  the  wonder,  hope,  and  curiosity 
inspired  by  such  travellers'  tales,  and  look  upon  the  diminutive 
volumes  and  obsolete  type  of  the  earliest  editions  with  a  kind 
of  fond  reminiscence  ;  beholding,  in  fancy,  the  eagerness  and 
incredulity  with  which  they  were  originally  pondered.  And 
those  of  us  who  have  sailed  along  the  umbrageous  and  lofty 
bluffs  of  the  Upper  Mississippi,  and  gazed  from  a  steamer's 
deck,  in  the  early  summer  morning,  upon  the  magnificent  soli 
tude — the  noble  stream,  the  far  reach  of  woods,  the  high,  cas 
tellated  limestone  rocks — and  heard  a  wild  bird's  cry,  or 
caught  sight  of  a  Sioux,  a  log  hut,  a  hunter — watched  the 
moving  panorama  of  foliage,  prairie,  village,  fever-stricken 
settlement  and  growing  city  alternating  with  lonely  forest — 
realizing  how  Nature's  wild  seclusion  and  Humanity's  primi 
tive  civilization  meet,  separate,  and  mingle  on  the  borders  of 
a  mighty  inland  river,  flowing  deep  and  far  through  the  West 
— so  fraught  with  destiny,  so  recent  in  the  annals  of  nations, 
and  so  ancient  in  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  creation — we, 
who  have  thus  gazed  and  mused,  when  rapidly  borne  on  the 
wings  of  steam,  where  Hennepin's  lonely  and  fragile  canoe 
slowly  moved  through  this  scene  of  virgin  and  unexplored 
loveliness  and  power,  cannot  refrain  from  a  thrill  of  sym 
pathy  with  those  emotions  of  awe  and  love,  of  expectancy 
and  danger  the  roving  Franciscan  must  have  felt ;  and,  with 
all  his  want  of  veracity,  recognize  somewhat  of  fraternity  by 
virtue  of  that  "  touch  of  nature "  which  makes  us  all  akin. 
We  accept  the  memorial  of  Hennepin,  which  gives  his  name 
to  locomotive  and  steam  barge,  where  he  first  baptized  the 
waters ;  we  recall  him  as  we  stand  in  the  midst  of  the  dash 
ing  flood  which  still  murmurs  his  saintly  nomenclature  ;  and, 
when  a  prairie  flower  takes  us  back  to  the  bosom  of  nature,  or 
the  wind,  unchecked  on  the  wide  plains,  sounds  the  same  eter 
nal  anthem  that  greeted  his  ears  who  first  invaded  their  soli 
tude,  we  feel  that,  however  the  face  of  the  land  has  changed, 
woods  fallen  before  the  settler's  axe,  and  aborigines  faded  in 
the  path  of  civilization,  and  thrift  encroached  upon  sport,  agri 
culture  upon  the  wilderness,  Nature  still  breathes  her  ele- 


FRENCH   MISSIONARY   EXPLORATION.  43 

mental  charms,  and  preserves  not  a  few  of  her  most  significant 
features.  To  an  imaginative  mind  there  is  as  much  poetry  as 
philosophy  in  the  contrast  between  the  Illinois  which  Henne- 
pin  traversed,  and  that  which  to-day  holds  such  a  world  of 
life  and  labor  in  her  bosom.  The  vast  fields  of  grain,  the 
teeming  orchards,  the  cities  and  railroads  of  the  present,  to 
the  political  economist,  afford  a  marvellous  parallel  to  the  ver 
dant  deserts  described  in  1680 ;  but  not  less  striking  is  the 
coincidence  that  deserted  Mormon  temples  are  there  found,  and 
a  President  of  this  republic  was  thence  elected  to  meet  the 
greatest  crisis  of  our  national  life.  One  sees  the  extremes  of 
civilization  and  the  normal  physical  resources  of  this  Western 
region,  side  by  side  with  the  distinctive  natural  features  which 
excited  the  admiration  and  fill  the  chronicles  of  the  mission 
ary  explorers.  Even  a  rapid  transit  brings  these  associations 
home  to  the  mind.  On  one  occasion,  as  our  train  stopped  on 
the  edge  of  a  rolling  prairie,  whose  treeless,  undulating  sur 
face,  for  miles,  was  unbroken  save  by  harvest  fields,  the  early 
descriptions  of  the  face  of  the  country  were  realized ;  and, 
while  specimens  of  the  mineral  wealth  and  fruits  of  the  allu 
vial  soil  were  passed  around,  there  appeared,  pensively  walking 
on  the  edge  of  the  "  garden  of  the  desert,"  in  entire  contrast 
with  the  solitude  and  wild  fertility  of  the  landscape,  an  Eng 
lish  lady,  in  the  costume  of  the  landed  gentry,  leading  a  child — 
their  flaxen  hair  and  high-bred  manner  suggestive  of  Saxon 
lineage  :  they  were  evidently  of  the  better  class  of  emigrants, 
who  had  sought  in  the  far-away  West  a  sphere,  limited  and 
dreary  in  comparison  with  their  English  home,  however 
blessed  by  nature,  but  auspicious  for  the  future  of  children 
whose  native  land  affords  no  promising  scope  either  for  work 
or  subsistence.  The  vivacious  and  brave  heralds  of  the  Cross, 
who,  two  centuries  ago,  delighted  the  Parisians  with  their 
accounts  of  a  land  of  boundless  woods  and  waters  in  the 
West,  rarely  and  imperfectly  surmised  its  destiny  in  the  Prov 
idential  issues  of  time :  it  was  recognized,  indeed,  as  a  new 
domain  for  the  rule  of  a  French  monarch,  a  new  sphere  for 
the  triumph  of  religion,  a  new  arena  for  military  adventure 


4A  AMERICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

and  colonization ;  but  few  realized  that  it  was  to  become  a 
grand  scene  of  political  development  and  a  refuge  for  the 
baffled  nationalities  of  Europe.  Indeed,  there  is  no  chapter 
in  the  primitive  history  of  the  country,  which,  appreciated 
in  all  its  relations,  picturesque,  adventurous,  heroic,  and 
religious,  that  offers  such  attractive  themes  for  art,  romance, 
and  philosophy  as  these  early  missions,  whereby  the  Old 
World  first  won  a  foothold  in  the  grandest  portions  of  the 
"New.  It  was  through  the  vague  reports  of  their  aboriginal 
converts  that  the  pious  followers  of  St.  Francis  de  Xavier, 
were  stimulated  to  seek  now  a  great  lake,  and  now  a  mighty 
river  :  it  was  when  in  search  of  new  tribes  as  subjects  of  their 
missionary  zeal,  that  incidents  of  romantic  interest  and  scenes 
of  unrivalled  beauty  became  known  to  them,  and,  through 
them,  to  the  civilized  world.  Menard,  a  Huron  missionary, 
planned  an  expedition  in  search  of  the  Mississippi  in  1660 : 
at  the  mission  on  the  Saguenay,  the  Jesuits  heard  from  their 
wild  converts,  of  a  vast  lake,  that  lured  them  on  a  voyage  of 
auspicious  discovery  ;  while  their  brethren  in  New  York  State 
witnessed  the  ceremonious  departure  of  the  Iroquois  to  give 
battle  to  an  inimical  tribe  on  the  shores  of  the  "  beautiful 
river,"  and,  being  thus  made  aware  of  new  links  in  the  mag 
nificent  water  chain,  urged  their  explorations  in  the  direction 
of  the  Ohio.  Father  Dablon,  when  superior  of  the  Ottawa 
mission,  established  a  station  among  the  Illinois,  and  reached 
the  Wisconsin  river  after  a  toilsome  voyage  :  his  "  Relation  " 
was  published  in  1670,  and  contained  a  map  of  Lake  Superior. 
But  the  narrative  of  Father  Claude  Allouez,  who  left  France 
in  1658,  contains  one  of  the  earliest  accounts  of  an  expedition 
to  the  Illinois  country,  which  the  Indians  had  described  to 
Father  Dablon  as  intersected  by  a  river  "  so  beautiful  that, 
for  more  than  three  hundred  leagues  from  its  mouth,  it  is 
larger  than  that  which  flows  by  Quebec  ;  and  the  vast  country 
is  nothing  but  prairies  without  trees  or  woods,  which  oblige 
the  inhabitants  of  those  parts  to  use  turf  and  dung  for  fuel, 
till  you  come  about  twenty  miles  from  the  sea."  Allouez 
began  his  journey  thither  on  the  ice  ;  one  of  his  companions 


FRENCH   MISSIONARY   EXPLORATION.  45 

was  killed  by  a  bear ;  he  had  seen  Father  Rene  Menard  go 
forth  on  his  sacred  work,  to  die  in  the  wilderness  ;  but  the 
ardent  love  of  religious  enterprise,  which  made  his  appoint 
ment  to  this  wild  and  distant  land  so  welcome  amid  the  com 
forts  of  home,  was  not  chilled  or  daunted :  one  of  the  first 
missionaries  who  reached  the  Mississippi,  his  name  is  asso 
ciated  with  that  of  Marquette  in  the  annals  of  Western  dis 
covery,  whom  he  succeeded  in  the  Illinois  mission ;  in  his 
light  canoe  he  faithfully  explored  the  shores  of  Michigan,  and 
erected  a  chapel  at  Chippewa,  The  record  of  strange  animals, 
impressive  scenery,  savage  hospitality  and  games,  alternates 
curiously,  in  these  narratives,  with  the  observance  of  saints' 
days  and  the  rites  of  Christianity,  and  the  American  wilder 
ness  with  the  associations  of  the  Roman  Church. 

In  the  Old  World,  it  is  a  pastime  of  singular  fascination  to 
the  cultivated  and  imaginative  American,  to  haunt  an  ancient 
town  like  Chester,  where  Roman  walls  and  camp  outlines, 
faded  banners  won  in  Cromwell's  time,  and  baronial  escutch 
eons  or  classic  coins  identify  the  site  of  historic  events 
associated  with  the  distant  past.  To  the  native  of  a  land 
where  all  is  so  fresh,  active,  and  changeful,  the  shadow  of  the 
pyramids,  the  moonlit  arches  of  the  Colosseum,  and  the  me 
dieval  towers  of  Florence  impart  to  the  landscape  a  hallowed 
charm,  more  impressive  from  its  entire  novelty.  And  yet  such 
experiences  are  possible  at  home,  if  the  same  retrospective 
dreamer  will  but  connect  the  facts  of  the  past,  of  which  there 
are  so  few  artificial  memorials,  with  the  aspect  of  nature  un 
modified  in  her  more  grand  features  by  the  vicissitudes  of 
centuries.  Looking  forth,  in  the  calm  of  a  summer  morning, 
upon  a  lonely  and  wooded  reach  of  Western  river  or  lake,  let 
him  recall  the  story  of  pioneer,  adventurer,  or  missionary, 
contrasting  it  with  the  tokens  of  subsequent  civilization,  and 
the  appeal  to  wonder  is  not  less  emphatic,  though  more  vague. 
How  wild,  remote,  exuberant  must  have  seemed  the  Father 
of  Waters  to  Marquette  and  Joliet,  when  they  glided  out 
upon  its  vast  and  unexplored  bosom  !  On  the  13th  of  May, 
1673,  with  five  other  Frenchmen,  they  embarked  in  two 


46  AMERICA   AND    HER   COMMENTATORS. 

canoes,  provided  with  a  slender  stock  of  Indian  corn  and 
smoked  beef;  and,  guided  by  such  information  as  they  could 
gather  from  the  aborigines,  left  Green  Bay,  ascended  the 
Fox  river,  and,  on  the  25th  of  June,  entered  the  Mississippi. 
The  first  naive  and  quaint  record  of  what  they  saw,  heard, 
and  did  on  this  primitive  expedition,  has,  by  the  liberal  enter 
prise  of  one  of  our  citizens,*  been  reproduced  as  it  then  greet 
ed  the  eyes  of  their  sympathetic  countrymen,  with  the  obso 
lete  type  so  appropriate  to  such  a  voyageic^s  chronicle. 
Father  Marquette  tells  us  there  of  the  wild  rice,  grapes,  and 
plums  whereAvith  they  regaled — of  the  Miamis  that  assisted 
their  portage — of  the  trace  of  footsteps  on  the  river's  bank, 
following  which  they  came  upon  a  beautiful  prairie — of  so 
journs  in  Illinois  villages,  calumet-smoking  with  friendly 
natives,  feverish  nights  with  mosquitos — of  the  dreary  bellow 
of  herds  of  buffaloes,  and  the  lowly  flights  of  the  startled 
quails.  Those  months  of  primitive  navigation  were  fraught 
with  a  rare  excitement  to  minds  reared  amid  the  highest 
existent  civilization ;  but,  as  if  awed  by  the  precarious  life 
and  majestic  aspect  of  primeval  nature,  the  simplicity  of  the 
narrative  is  only  equalled  by  the  unprecedented  interest  of 
the  discoveries  ;  and  the  good  priest's  memory  has  long  been 
hallowed  by  his  death  in  the  midst  of  scenes  forever  identified 
with  his  brave  and  pious  character.  On  the  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan,  the  isolated  and  picturesque  witness  of  those  heroic 
toils  and  that  humane  ministry,  on  the  18th  of  May,  1675,  the 
canoe  of  Father  Marquette  entered  a  small  stream,  and  he 
requested  the  two  men  in  charge  thereof  to  leave  him  for 
half  an  hour  :  on  returning,  they  found  him  dead.  The  site 
of  his  grave,  f  near  the  bank,  is  still  designated,  and  the 
little  river  bears  his  name ;  but  the  brief  and  artless  record 

*  James  Lenox,  Esq.,  of  New  York. 

f  "  Marquette's  body  was  disinterred  from  its  lonely  resting  place  on  the 
lake  shore  by  the  Kiskakon  Indians,  among  whom  he  had  faithfully  labored. 
Dissecting  it,  according  to  custom,  they  washed  the  bones  and  dried  them  in 
the  sun,  then  putting  them  neatly  in  a  box  of  birch  bark,  they  set  out  to  bear 
them  to  the  house  of  St.  Ignatius,  at  Michilimakinac." — DABLON'S  Narrative 
of  Marquette's  Expedition. 


FRENCH   MISSIONARY   EXPLORATION.  47 

of  his  voyage,  a  small  duodecimo  of  forty-three  pages,  is 
the  most  characteristic  memorial  of  the  man,  and  one  of  the 
most  endeared  as  well  as  vivid  glimpses  of  that  marvellous 
river  and  region,  as  they  were  first  revealed  to  civilized 
nations.* 

Another  French  missionary  to  Canada  has  left,  not  only  a 
more  ample,  but  more  authentic  chronicle,  and  his  name  is 
often  invoked  with  trust  and  respect  by  our  historical  writers. 
Pierre  Francois  Xavier  Charlevoix  was  born  in  1682,  at  St. 
Quentin,  and  died  in  1761,  at  Lafieche.  His  life  was  devoted 
to  study  and  travel  in  behalf  of  his  faith ;  and  few  of  his 
order  have  manifested  greater  courage,  patience,  and  in 
tegrity.  His  American  tour,  although  now  but  a  pleasant 
excursion,  was  formidable  and  adventurous  enough,  in  his 
own  day,  to  render  him  more  famous  than  an  African  or 
Arctic  traveller  of  our  own.  His  account  of  the  productions 
of  the  wilderness,  the  extent  and  character  of  rivers,  woods, 
and  mountains,  and  especially  of  the  character  and  customs 
of  the  natives,  was  not  only  esteemed  when  the  novelty  of  its 
details  originally  won  readers,  but  has  continued  among  the 
standard  books  of  travel.f  Charlevoix  carefully  and  thor 
oughly,  with  the  means  and  opportunities  at  command, 

*  See  J.  G.  Shea's  "  Discovery  and  Exploration  of  the  Mississippi  Yalley, 
with  the  Narrative  of  Marquette,  Hennepin,  Douay,"  &c.,  8vo.,  fac-simile  and 
map,  New  York,  1852;  Rev.  W.  I.  Kip's  "Early  Jesuit  Missions  in  North 
America,  compiled  from  the  letters  of  the  French  Jesuits,"  1  vol.,  New  York, 
1846,  and  2  vols.  8vo.,  London,  1847;  and  "Relations  des  Jesuits,  conte- 
nant  ce  qui  s'est  passe  de  plus  remarquable  dans  les  missions  des  Peres  de  la 
Compagnie  de  Jesus  dans  la  Nouvelle  France :  ouvrage  public  sous  les  aus 
pices  du  gouvernement  Canadien,"  3  vols.  royal  8vo.,  of  about  900  pp.  each, 
Quebec,  1858.  "  This  work,  of  which  only  a  small  number  were  printed,  is  a 
complete  reprint  of  all  the  Jesuit  relations  concerning  the  missions  in  Canada 
and  French  North  America,  from  1611  to  1672,  and  contains  most  important 
matter  concerning  the  Indian  tribes,  and  the  early  history  of  Maine,  New 
York,  and  all  the  Northwest." 

f  "  Histoire  et  Description  generale  de  la  Nouvelle  France,"  atlas  and  6 
vols.,  Paris,  1744. 

"  Letters  to  the  Duchess  of  Lesdiguires,  giving  an  account  of  a  voyage  to 
Canada,  and  travels  through  that  vast  country  and  Louisiana  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,"  8vo.,  London,  1763. 


48  AMERICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATOKS. 

ascended  the  St.  Lawrence,  traversed  the  region  called  the 
"  country  of  the  Illinois,"  and  descended  the  Mississippi.  A 
county  now  bears  his  name  in  Michigan.  He  visited  the 
East  and  West  Indies,  and,  when  at  home  again,  elaborately 
recorded  his  extensive  travels.  They  form  a  valuable  work 
of  reference  when  it  is  desirable  to  ascertain  the  physical  and 
local  facts  in  regard  to  these  countries  during  the  first  part 
of  the  last  century.  Among  the  suggestive  historical  and 
personal  associations  which  the  rapid  march  of  events,  and 
especially  the  triumphs  of  locomotion  and  intercourse,  contin 
ually  excite  in  this  age  and  country,  few  are  more  impres 
sive  than  the  fact  that  the  two  most  remote  points  of  Charle- 
voix's  world-wide  journeys  were,  in  a  manner,  brought  to 
gether  when  the  Japanese  embassy  visited  the  United  States 
a  few  years  since.  In  his  wildest  dreams  the  ardent  Jesuit 
could  scarcely  have  imagined  that  the  region  of  mighty  rivers 
and  primeval  woods,  which  he  so  laboriously  explored  amid 
privation,  toil,  and  danger,  could,  in  so  brief  a  period,  become 
accessible,  populous,  and  fused,  as  it  were,  into  the  compass 
of  a  recreative  tour;  and  that  the  natives  of  that  far-away 
isle  in  the  Indian  seas,  whose  semi-civilization  he  first  reported 
to  Europe,  should  come  hither  as  ambassadors  to  a  vast  re 
public,  and  cany  their  Asian  aspect  through  crowded  cities 
of  Anglo-Saxon  freemen.  Never,  perhaps,  were  stationary 
and  progressive  civilization  brought  so  directly  in  contrast. 
The  Japanese  envoys,  as  well  as  their  distant  home,  are  identi 
cal  with  those  Charlevoix  so  long  ago  described ;  while  the 
virgin  solitudes  of  nature,  amid  which  his  lonely  canoe  floated 
or  his  solitary  camp  fire  blazed,  are  superseded  by  busy  towns 
and  peopled  with  flying  caravans  of  travellers,  representing  an 
economy,  character,  and  government  fall  of  vitality  and  of 
prosperous  and  original  elements. 

It  is  curious  to  turn  to  the  somewhat  monotonous  but  still 
instructive  pages  of  Charlevoix,  and  realize  how  exclusively, 
at  the  time  he  wrote,  the  interest  of  this  continent  was  aborig 
inal  and  prospective  ;  for  it  is  with  the  aspects  and  resources 
of  nature  and  the  peculiarities  of  the  Indian  tribes  that  his 


FRENCH   MISSIONARY    EXPLORATION.  49 

pen  is  occupied.  Whatever  of  romance  tinges  his  chronicle 
is  Arcadian ;  the  myths  and  manners  of  the  different  tribes, 
the  trees  and  the  reptiles,  waterfalls  and  savannas,  are  the 
staple  themes.  His  religious  views  and  mission  lend  a  pensive 
dignity  to  his  narrative  :  like  most  of  his  countrymen,  he 
develops  certain  sympathies  with,  and  finds  curious  interest  in, 
the  sauvages  /  he  pictures  the  wild  beauty  and  primitive  life 
of  the  country  when  furs  were  the  chief  article  of  traffic — 
when  the  convents  of  Canada,  the  frontier  forts,  and  the 
Indian  villages  were  the  only  places  of  secure  sojourn — when 
"  fire  water "  had  only  begun  its  fascinating  destruction 
among  the  then  naive  children  of  the  soil — when  rude  fields 
of  tobacco,  orchards,  and  maize  fields  alone  gave  sign  of  culti 
vation,  and  game  and  fish  supplied  the  wanderer's  subsist 
ence.  In  Charlevoix  we  find  the  germs  of  colonial  romance 
in  America ;  the  primitive  maps,  the  old  forts,  the  early  crude 
botanical  nomenclature,  with  ethnological  hints  regarding  the 
Hurons,  Iroquois,  Algonquin,  and  other  tribes.  He  first 
elaborately  pictured  the  "  lacs  " — those  wonderful  inland  seas 
which  constituted  so  remarkable  a  feature  of  the  New  World 
to  its  first  visitors,  and  became  the  great  means  of  economical 
development  by  initiating,  under  wise  statesmanship,  the  pro 
lific  system  of  communication  between  the  far  interior  and 
the  broad  seacoast. 

His  letters  were  commenced  in  1720,  by  order  of  the  King 
of  France.  One  of  the  best  English  translations  appeared  in 
1765.  The  details  are  curious  now,  rather  than  novel;  they 
are  carefully  noted,  and  form  the  best  authority  for  reference 
as  to  the  primitive  aspect,  productions,  and  aboriginal  tribes. 
The  topographical  statements  are  often  confirmed  by  experi 
ence  at  the  present  day ;  and  the  imaginative  traveller  finds 
his  enjoyment  of  the  scenery  enhanced  by  contemplating  it 
with  the  record  of  this  venerable  guide  before  him,  and  con 
trasting  with  that  early  record  the  scene  as  modified  by  the 
sights  and  sounds  of  Anglo-Saxon  civilization. 

"  In  New  England,  and  other  provinces  of  America,"  says 
Charlevoix,  "  subject  to  the  British  empire,  there  prevails  an 
3 


50  AMERICA   AND    HEK   COMMENTATORS. 

opulence  of  which  they  seem  not  to  have  taken  the  benefit ; 
and,  in  New  France,  a  poverty  disguised  by  an  air  of  ease, 
which  does  not  seem  constrained.  Commerce  and  the  culture 
of  plantations  strengthen  the  former :  the  industry  of  the 
inhabitants  supports  the  latter ;  and  the  taste  of  the  nation 
diffuses  an  unbounded  agreeableness.  The  English  colonist 
gathers  wealth,  and  never  runs  into  any  superfluous  expense  ; 
the  French  enjoys  what  he  has,  and  often  makes  a  show  of 
what  he  has  not :  one  labors  for  his  heirs ;  the  other  leaves 
them  in  the  necessity  in  which  he  found  himself,  to  shift  as 
well  as  they  can.  The  English  are  entirely  averse  to  war, 
because  they  have  much  to  lose  ;  they  do  not  regard  the  sav 
ages,  because  they  think  they  have  no  occasion  for  them." 
In  these  remarks  we  have  a  key,  not  only  to  the  national  char 
acteristics  of  the  two  peoples,  but  one  which  explains  the  suc 
cess  of  one  and  the  failure  of  the  other  in  permanent  coloni 
zation.  Our  associations  with  the  name  of  Chicago  and  of 
Illinois  make  it  difficult  to  realize  the  casual  mention  of  them 
by  Charlevoix  as  the  abode  of  Indians  only :  "  Fifty  years 
ago,"  he  writes,  "  the  Miamis  were  settled  at  the  south  end 
of  the  lake  Michigan,  in  a  place  called  Chicago,  which  is  also 
the  name  of  a  little  river  that  runs  into  the  lake  :  the  Illinois, 
a  savage  nation,  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Illinois  ;  they  burn 
prisoners,  and  sing  doleful  songs."  He  observes  that  the 
"  navigation  of  Lake  Michigan  requires  much  care,  because 
the  wind  comes  from  the  open  lake,  that  is,  the  west ;  the 
waves  are  the  whole  length  of  the  lake,  and  blend  with  the 
shock  of  currents  and  of  rivers  running  in ; " — a  primitive 
description,  which  comes  home  to  all  who  have  experienced 
a  gale  there. 

Of  the  two  great  rivers  of  the  West,  he  writes :  "  The 
Missouri  is  far  the  most  rapid,  and  enters  the  Misissippi  like 
a  conqueror ;  afterward  it  gives  its  color  to  that  river, 
w^hich  it  never  loses  again,  but  carries  quite  down  to  the 
sea.  The  natives  are  obliged  to  use  pettiaugres  instead  of 
canoes  of  bark,  on  account  of  snags  ;  they  are  trees  made  hol 
low  :  the  natives  know  the  north  by  the  tops  of  trees,  as 


FRENCH   MISSIONARY    EXPLORATION.  51 

they  lean  a  little  that  way ;  the  Mississippi  is  little  known 
above  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony." 

Charlevoix  was  an  eminent  teacher,  both  of  languages  and 
philosophy,  and,  for  more  than  twenty  years  after  his  return 
from  America,  "  had  a  chief  share  in  the  Journal  de  Trevoux." 
His  character  and  learning  gave  authority  to  his  "  Histoire 
Generale  de  la  Nouvelle  France."  As  we  read  his  accounts 
of  personal  observations  and  experience  in  Canada  and  on  the 
Mississippi,  of  the  beavers  and  cypress  trees,  the  elks  and  eels, 
the  lakes  and  falls,  the  maize  and  oysters,  the  snakes  and  tur 
tles,  Indians  and  missions,  we  can  perceive  a  directness  and 
honesty  of  purpose,  which  is  internal  evidence  of  the  author's 
good  faith.  The  simplicity  and  ingenuousness  of  his  style  have 
always  been  recognized,  though  its  correctness  is  not  admit 
ted  by  verbal  critics. 

With  the  wild,  luxuriant,  lonely,  remote  picture  of  the 
Jesuit  clear  and  full  to  the  mind's  eye,  what  a  wonderful  pro 
cess  of  development,  relation,  and  change,  does  the  Illinois 
region  offer  to  one  now  familiar  with  its  history  and  its 
aspect !  The  unpeopled  desert  of  the  isolated  missionary  is 
still  in  the  far  West,  "  a  vast  prairie  dotted  with  groves  and 
intersected  with  belts  of  timber  ; "  but,  less  remote,  its  climate 
is  only  modified  ;  and  the  herds  of  buffalo  have  disappeared, 
the  wild  deer  drink  no  more  at  the  streams ;  the  same  millions 
of  fertile  acres  and  a  portion  of  the  immense  swamp  diversify 
the  face  of  the  land ;  the  same  limestone  bluffs  frown  impos 
ingly  upon  the  vast  river ;  the  same  piercing  blasts  from  the 
Rocky  Mountains  sweep  snow-covered  plains ;  and,  away  from 
the  settlements,  the  same  blue-bells,  wild  roses,  thistles,  sorrels, 
fragrant  herbs,  and  lofty  weeds  and  hairy-leaved  plants,  and 
grassy  levels  make  the  summer  gorgeous  and  balmy ;  the  scar 
let  trumpet  blossoms  and  the  golden  dandelion,  the  low  box 
trees,  the  purple  wild  grape,  and  the  crimson  sumach  make 
brilliant  and  variegated  the  meadows ;  the  same  gray,  mottled, 
and  flying  squirrels  occasionally  cross  the  wanderer's  path  ;  the 
owl  may  be  heard  at  night,  and  the  turkey  buzzards  hover  over 
carrion  ;  the  crow,  the  falcon,  the  hawk,  the  vulture,  the  mock- 


52  AMERICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

ing  bird,  and  the  rattlesnake,  here  and  there,  attest  that  old  hun 
ters  and  early  naturalists  correctly  noted  the  indigenous  animal 
life  of  the  region  ;  but  tall  maize  stalks,  and  woolly  flocks,  and 
fruitful  orchards,  and  herds  of  cattle  have  superseded  the  wil 
derness  where  the  elk  browsed  fearlessly  and  the  hares  bur 
rowed  unharmed.  Since  the  flag  of  Spain  was  planted  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  in  1541 — since,  a  century  later,  Father 
Marquette  offered  the  calumet  of  peace  and  the  Canada  fur  trad 
ers  came  thither,  what  vicissitudes  and  progress  have  signal 
ized  the  scenes  that  Hennepin  so  long  ago  described !  Be 
stowed  by  Louis  XI V.,  in  1712,  upon  Anthony  Crozat,  with  the 
entire  territory  of  Louisiana  and  Wisconsin,  the  Illinois  country 
became  the  capital  upon  which  a  trading  company,  managed 
by  John  Law,  produced  financial  convulsion  which  shook  the 
Old  World  and  bred  political  and  social  revolution — the  only 
relic  and  memorial  whereof  are  the  poor  fragments  of  Fort 
Chartres  which  he  erected  when  at  the  pinnacle  of  his  auda 
cious  success.  Wolfe,  in  1759,  brought  to  an  end  the  rule  of 
France  on  this  continent ;  yet  many  of  her  children  lingered 
in  the  Illinois  and  preserved  intact  their  characteristic  modes 
of  life,  which  have  been  more  or  less  transmitted.  In- 1763 
the  vast  domain  passed  to  the  British  crown;  in  1778  its 
posts  there  were  captured  by  the  Virginia  rangers  under 
Roger  Clark;  in  1809  the  country  became  a  separate  Terri 
tory,  in  1818  a  State  of  our  Union ;  and  the  name  of  one  of  her 
counties  preserves  the  memory  of  the  leader  of  those  who 
successfully  opposed  any  provision  for  slavery  in  her  consti 
tution.  Her  Indian  wars,  during  this  period  and  subsequent 
ly,  form  a  remarkable  historical  episode,  which  includes  the 
last  stand  taken  by  Pontiac,  Tecumseh,  and  Black  Hawk  for 
their  aboriginal  dominion,  and  the  scene  of  their  final  sacrifice. 
But,  however  romantic,  these  events  are  less  interesting  to 
the  economist  than  the  unprecedented  physical  development, 
the  vast  crops  of  grain,  the  coal  region,  and  the  lead  and 
copper  mines,  which  have  made  Illinois  so  productive.  Par 
allel  with  these  demonstrations  of  latent  wealth  and  normal 
fertility,  of  Indian  history  and  land  speculation,  social  life 


FRENCH   MISSIONARY   EXPLORATION.  53 

there  has  yielded  original  traits,  whereof  authors  and  artists 
have  not  inadequately  availed  themselves.  The  adventures 
of  missionary,  trader,  hunter,  settler,  and  traveller  have  been 
genially  recorded  ;  the  descendants  of  the  original  three  thou 
sand  French  colonists  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  with 
their  national  proclivities,  so  diverse  from  the  Anglo-Saxon, 
and  manifested  in  their  household  economy  and  vivacious 
temperament— the  primitive  manners  and  costume  of  the 
farmers,  who  long  conveyed  the  products  of  their  farms  in 
flatboats  to  New  Orleans,  clad  in  raccoon-skin  caps,  buckskin 
leggings,  moccasins,  and  linsey  hunting  shirts,  with  the  home- 
wrought,  brightly  dyed  frocks  of  the  women,  and  the  frank 
and  brave  manners  and  language  of  this  free  and  thrifty  popu 
lation — have  yet  a  traditional  charm :  here,  too,  the  terrible 
justice  of  Lynch  law  had  full  scope — the  Missouri  ruffians,  the 
debris  of  the  Indian  tribes,  the  Western  politician,  and  the 
robust  or  ague-stricken  emigrant,  made  up  an  unique  and 
original  population,  full  of  salient  points  to  the  eye  of  a  Euro 
pean  or  visitor  from  the  communities  of  New  England  or  old 
Southern  States.  Cooper,  in  a  novel,  and  Bryant,  in  a  poem, 
have  graphically  described  the  life  and  aspect  of  the  Prairie 
State,  which  now  boasts  millions  of  inhabitants.  Kohl,  speak 
ing  of  Illinois,  compares  it  in  shape  to  a  grain  sack,  rent  in 
the  middle  by  its  river,  and  bursting  out  with  grain  at  both 
ends.  Professor  Yoelcher,  consulting  chemist  of  the  Royal 
Agricultural  Society  of  England,  analyzing  four  samples  of 
prairie  soil,  said  :  "  The  most  noticeable  feature  in  the  analysis 
is  their  very  large  quantity  of  nitrogen — nearly  twice  as  much 
as  the  most  fertile  soil  of  Great  Britain ;  in  each  case,  taking 
the  soil  at  an  average  depth  of  ten  inches,  an  acre  of  their 
prairie  soil  contains  upward  of  three  tons  of  nitrogen,  and  as 
a  heavy  crop  of  wheat,  with  its  straw,  contains  about  fifty- 
two  pounds  of  nitrogen,  there  is  thus  a  natural  store  of  am 
monia  in  this  soil  sufficient  for  more  than  a  hundred  wheat 
crops." 

But  the  most  remarkable  fact  in  the  economical  history  of 
Illinois  and  its  adjacent  States,  is  the  effect  of  locomotive  facil- 


54:  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

ities  and  the  genius  of  communication,  in  developing  the  re 
sources  and  bringing,  as  it  were,  to  the  Atlantic  coast  and  the 
commercial  East,  the  region  Hennepin  so  laboriously  and  so 
long  traversed  a  mighty  wilderness  to  reach.  The  contrast 
fully  realized  of  the  approach  then  and  now,  is  one  of  those 
modern  miracles  of  practical  life  to  the  wonder  of  which  only 
habit  blinds  us.  Vessels  go  direct  from  Liverpool  to  Chica 
go,  by  crossing  the  Atlantic,  entering  the  St.  Lawrence,  and 
surmounting  the  rapids  by  means  of  the  Canadian  locks  and 
canals,  entering  Ontario,  and,  after  sailing  through  that  lake, 
and  a  descent  of  three  hundred  feet  of  the  Niagara  River,  by 
the  Welland  Canal,  reach  Lake  Erie,  thence  through  the  straits 
and  lake  of  St.  Clair  to  Lake  Huron  and  Lake  Michigan — in 
the  heart  of  the  American  continent.  Four  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  thirty-six  miles  of  road  terminate  there,  of  which 
two  thousand  eight  hundred  miles  are  within  the  State  limits. 
These  great  highways  were  built  to  carry  off  the  surplus  of 
the  prairies.* 

As  an  illustration  of  the  cosmopolitan  tendency  of  the 
population,  it  was  but  recently  that  in  this  distant  inland  city, 
where  a  blockhouse  fort  alone  stood  within  the  memory 
of  "  the  oldest  inhabitant,"  sons  of  the  Bishop  of  London,  of 
Admiral  Collingwood,  of  the  novelist  Dickens,  with  German 
barons  and  Hungarian  officers,  were  there  cheerfully  engaged 
in  various  vocations. 

There  is  something  exciting  to  the  imagination  as  well  as 
impressive  to  the  mind  in  the  fact  that  the  oldest  authentic 
written  memorials  of  America,  after  the  narratives  of  mari- 

*  The  following  table  compares  the  official  returns  of  the  population  of 
Chicago : 


1830 70 

1840 4,853 

1843 7,580 

1844 10,864 

1845 12,088 

1846 14,169 

1847 16,859 


1848 20,023 

1849 23,047 

1850 29,963 

1852 38,734 

1853 60,625 

1860 110,973 

1862 138,835 


Thus,  in  thirty-three  years,  a  colony  of  seventy  persons  has  grown  into  a 
city  of  nearly  140,000. 


FRENCH   MISSIONARY   EXPLORATION.  55 

time  adventurers,  are  the  letters  and  "  relations  "  of  the  Jesuit 
missionaries.  Often  when  a  band  of  hunters  or  company  of 
early  colonists  penetrated  to  a  region  of  the  wilderness,  as 
they  imagined,  unvisited  before  by  any  human  being  except 
the  savage  natives,  the  sight  of  some  relic  or  token  of  these 
religious  pioneers  brought  into  immediate  contrast  the  most 
hallowed  associations  of  the  Old  World  and  the  virgin  wilder 
ness  of  the  New.  Sometimes  an  old  aboriginal  guide  re 
peated  to  the  astonished  strangers  what  had  been  whispered 
in  his  ear  when,  as  a  child,  he  played  around  the  council  fire 
or  the  wigwam,  of  kind  and  wise  men,  robed  in  black,  who 
talked  to  the  children  of  the  forest,  of  heaven,  prayed  over 
their  dead,  and  baptized  their  maidens.  On  other  occasions, 
amid  the  mossy  coverings  of  ancient  trees,  the  curious  ex 
plorer  would  find  rudely  carved  the  effigies  or  escutcheon  of 
the  French  king  :  here  a  broken  cross,  there  a  respected  grave, 
now  a  ruined  chapel,  and  again  a  censer  or  sacramental  cup, 
even  in  the  heart  of  the  woods  revived  to  the  exiles  the 
images,  sacrifices,  and  triumphs  of  these  indomitable  members 
of  the  Society  of  Jesus  :  some  of  their  names  are  perpetuated 
in  those  of  towns  now  flourishing  on  the  site  of  their  apostle- 
ship  or  martyrdom  ;  others  are  only  preserved  on  a  page  of 
history  seldom  consulted.  Poets  and  novelists,  historians 
and  artists  have,  from  time  to  time,  renewed  the  pious  tra 
ditions  and  isolated  lives  of  these  remarkable  men  ;  but  few 
of  the  summer  tourists  who  gaze  with  delight  upon  the  um 
brageous  islands  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  or  stand  entranced  amid 
the  foaming  rapids  of  St.  Anthony,  or  watch  with  rapture  the 
undulating  sea  of  herbage  and  flowers  on  a  blooming  prairie 
of  Illinois  or  Missouri,  associate  these  characteristic  aspects  of 
nature  with  their  first  European  explorers.  Their  written 
memorials,  however,  aptly  consecrate  their  experience :  there 
by  we  learn  how  cheerfully  scholars,  soldiers,  and  courtiers 
braved  the  privations  and  the  cruelties  incident  to  such  heroic 
enterprises  ;  we  read  the  artless  story  of  their  ministry — how 
at  times  they  feel  rewarded  for  months  of  suffering  by  the 
saintly  development  of  an  Indian  virgin,  by  the  acquiescence 


56  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

of  a  tribe  in  the  rites  of  Christianity,  or  by  the  amelioration 
in  the  habits  and  temper  of  these  fierce  children  of  nature, 
under  the  influence  of  consistent,  humane,  and  holy  examples 
and  care.  All  the  correspondence  and  reports  of  the  Jesuit 
missionaries  are  interspersed  with  local  descriptions,  some 
times  vivid  and  often  so  specific  as  to  serve  as  data  for  natu 
ralist  and  historian.  The  anecdotes  of  Indian  character  and 
of  personal  adventure  also  give  a  quaint  zest  to  the  story ; 
and  not  unfrequently  a  deep  pathos  is  imparted  thereto  by 
the  fate  of  the  writer — dying  of  hunger,  at  the  stake,  or  by 
treachery — going  forth  on  their  perilous  journeys  from  fort 
or  settlement,  conscious  they  may  not  hope  to  return — and 
yielding  up  their  lives  with  the  same  intrepid  zeal  with  which 
they  bore  the  discouragements,  exposure,  ingratitude,  and 
lonely  struggles  of  missionary  life  in  the  wilderness.  Jogues, 
Du  Poisson,  Souel,  Breboeuf,  Lallemand,  Sen  at,  La  Chaise, 
Joliet,  and  Marquette,  are  names  thus  endeared  and  hallowed. 
Among  other  episodes  recorded  in  the  letters  of  the 
Jesuit  missionaries,  which  combine  romantic  with  historical 
significance,  are  the  accounts  of  the  Iroquois  martyrs,  of 
Catherine,  the  saint  of  that  tribe,  of  voyages  up  the  Missis 
sippi,  of  the  massacre  by  the  Natchez,  of  the  mission  to  the 
Illinois,  and  of  Montcalm's  expedition  to  Fort  George.  Some 
of  the  letters  written  by  the  missionaries  to  their  superiors  and 
brethren  in  France  contain  the  earliest  descriptions  of  por 
tions  of  States  now  constituting  the  most  flourishing  region 
in  the  West.  In  his  account  of  a  "  Journey  through  Illinois 
and  Michigan,  in  1712,"  Father  Marest  writes  :  "  Our  Illinois 
dwell  in  a  delightful  country.  There  are  great  rivers,  which 
water  it,  and  vast  and  dense  forests,  with  delightful  prairies." 
He  descants  on  the  "  charming  variety  "  of  the  scene,  speaks 
of  the  abundance  of  game,  such  as  buffaloes,  roebucks,  hinds, 
stags,  swan,  geese,  bustards,  ducks,  and  turkeys ;  he  notes 
the  wild  oats  and  the  cedar  and  copal  trees,  the  apple,  peach, 
and  pear  orchards,  and  says  the  flesh  of  young  bears  is  very 
delicate,  and  the  native  grapes  "  only  moderately  good."  Of 
the  Indians  he  remarks  that  "  their  physical  development  is 


FRENCH   MISSIONARY   EXPLOEATION.  57 

fine — the  men  being  tall,  active,  and  very  swift  of  foot ; "  he 
describes  their  mode  of  life,  their  wigwams,  corn  staple, 
manitous  and  medicine  men :  it  is  among  the  women,  how 
ever,  that  his  mission  best  succeeds ;  they,  he  writes,  are 
"  depressed  by  their  daily  toil,  and  are  more  docile  to  the 
truths  of  the  gospel,"  and  are  invariably  "  modestly  clothed 
when  they  come  into  the  church." 

The  cheerful  temperament  and  quick  observation,  as  well 
as  the  pious  zeal  of  the  French  Jesuits,  made  them  admirable 
pioneers  and  explorers;  -with  enough  imagination  to  enjoy 
and  describe  nature,  and  sympathy  adequate  to  put'  them  in 
relation  with  the  races  they  aimed  to  convert,  more  or  less 
preliminary  study  enabled  them  to  note  the  phenomena  and 
products  of  the  new  country,  if  not  with  scientific  complete 
ness,  yet  with  intelligence  and  precision.  Charlevoix  singu 
larly  combined  the  priest  and  the  savan  ;  he  tells  us,  speaking 
of  Christian  baptism  among  the  savages,  how  an  enfant  mori 
bund  fut  guerit  par  la  vertu  de  ce  sacrament ;  and,  at  the 
same  time,  his  was  the  first  correct  estimate  of  the  height  of 
the  Falls  of  Niagara.  His  "  Histoire  de  la  ISTouvelle  France  " 
is  a  pleasing  memorial  of  his  loyalty  and  pious  self-devotion, 
whereto  he  so  aptly  joined  the  assiduous  observation  and 
careful  narrative  of  an  expedition  which  revealed  so  many 
then  fresh  and  valuable  facts  in  regard  to  the  magnificent 
domain  partially  colonized,  and,  as  was  then  hoped,  perma 
nently  appropriated  by  France. 
3* 


CHAPTER   III. 

FRENCH  TRAVELLERS  AND   WRITERS'. 

CHASTELLUX  ;  L'ABBE  ROBIN ;  DTJCKE1  |  BRISSOT  DE  WARVILLE  ; 

CREVECCEUR;  LA  ROCHEFOUCAULD-LIANCOURT  ;  . 

VOLNEY;  RAYNAL. 

AFTER  the  colonial  adventurers  and  the  religious  pioneers 
had  made  the  natural  features  of  America  familiar  to  Europe 
— after  settlements  had  been  made  (disputed,  declined,  and 
flourished)  by  representatives  of  every  civilized  land,  and  the 
English  character  was  the  established  social  influence  in  the 
New  World — came  that  memorable  struggle  for  political  in 
dependence  which  attracted  so  many  brave  and  intelligent 
allies  from  abroad  :  some  of  these  have  left  accounts  of  their 
experience  and  a  record  of  their  impressions ;  they  differ 
from  the  earlier  series  of  travels  in  a  more  detailed  report  of 
the  manners  and  customs  of  the  people,  in  a  sympathetic  em 
phasis  derived  from  mutual  privations  and  triumphs,  in  a 
speculative  interest  suggested  by  the  new  and  vast  prospects 
which  then  opened  before  a  free  people,  and  in  the  attractive 
personal  associations  which  connect  these  literary  memorials 
with  the  names  of  our  champions  in  the  War  of  Independence. 
Perhaps  no  one  of  this  class  of  travels  in  America  is  more 
satisfactory,  from  the  interest  of  the  narrative  and  the  agreea 
ble  style,  than  those  of  the  Marquis  de  Chastellux.*  He  vividly 

*  "Voyages dans  I'Amerique  Septentrionale dans les  annees  l780-'81-'82," 
2  vols.  8vo.,  Paris,  1786. 


FRENCH   TEAVELLEES   AN»   WEITEES.  59 

caught  the  life  of  America  at  the  time  of  its  most  character 
istic  self-assertion.  His  amiable  manners  and  intelligent  zeal 
had  won  him  the  special  regard  of  Washington.  He  was  one 
of  the  forty  members  of  the  French  Academy,  and  a  major- 
general  of  the  French  army,  serving  under  Count  Rocham- 
beau. 

Francois  Jean,  Marquis  de  Chastellux,  was  born  in  Paris 
in  1734,  and  died  there  in  1788.  He  was  one  of  those  charac 
ters  almost  peculiar  to  the  old  regime,  in  France,  wherein  the 
militaire  and  the  man  of  letters  were  gracefully  combined 
with  the  gentleman.  At  quite  an  early  age  he  entered  the 
army,  and  won  distinction  in  Germany  during  the  Seven 
Years',  war.  His  agreeable  conversation  and  urbane  manners 
made  him  a  great  favorite  when,  under  Rochambeau,  he 
served  in  America ;  in  camp  and  drawing  room,  at  wayside 
inns  and  among  educated  and  philosophical  men,  he  was 
alike  pleasant  and  courteous ;  and  from  the  commander-in- 
chief  of  our  army  to  the  shrewd  farmer  of  whose  hospitality 
he  partook  while  travelling,  from  the  stately  dowager  at 
Philadelphia  to  the  rustic  beauty  of  an  isolated  plantation  in 
Virginia,  he  gained  that  consideration  which  high  breeding, 
quick  sympathy,  and  a  cultivated  mind  so  naturally  win.  He 
acquired  no  inconsiderable  literary  reputation  by  a  work  that 
appeared  in  1772,  De  la  Felicite  Publique :  the  significance 
of  this  somewhat  ambitious  treatise  has  long  since  passed 
away,  with  the  tone  of  feeling  and  the  state  of  opinion  it 
once  not  inadequately  represented ;  still,  it  is  an  interesting 
memorial  of  an  amiable  and  accomplished  champion  of  the 
American  cause,  and  a  curious  illustration  of  the  theories  and 
style  once  so  prevalent  in  France.  The  Marquis  sympathized 
with  Condorcet's  views  of  the  possible  and  probable  progress 
of  humanity,  and  his  work  is  chiefly  inspired  with  these  specu 
lations  ;  but  it  has  no  claim  to  logical  order  or  harmony  of 
plan  ;  it  has  vigorous  thoughts,  but  they  are  expressed  in  too 
rhetorical  a  manner  to  impress  deeply  a  reflective  mind ;  the 
absence  of  Christian  Faith  is  characteristic  of  the  author's 
times  and  country  among  philosophical  writers  :  yet,  notwith- 


60  AMERICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

standing  the  incompleteness  and  scepticism  of  the  work,  its 
brilliant  generalizations  so  pleased  Voltaire  that  he  declared 
it  superior  to  Montesquieu's  famous  treatise.  As  in  so  many 
other  instances,  the  fame  of  the  Marquis  de  Chastellux,  as  a 
writer,  rests  upon  the  incidental  rather  than  the  formal  and 
elaborate  achievements  of  his  pen.  His  Voyages  dans  VAme- 
rigue  Septentrionale  are  the  spontaneous  comments  and  de 
scriptions  such  as  fill  the  letters  and  journals  of  an  intelligent 
traveller ;  they  are  written  in  a  very  pleasant  though  desul 
tory  style,  and  abound  in  details  of  interest  not  familiar  at  the 
time  the  work  appeared.  Many  important  economical,  social, 
and  personal  facts  are  gracefully  recorded ;  and  the  charac 
ter  of  the  country  and  of  the  men  who  directed  the  War 
of  Independence  and  the  formation  of  a  free  government  are 
described ;  there  are  some  lively  anecdotical  episodes,  and  not 
a  few  acute  speculations  :  the  work  is  truly  French  in  the  con 
stant  alternation  of  a  light  vein  of  remark  with  serious  observa 
tion,  and  warm  sentiment  with  worldly  wisdom.  The  frugal 
and  simple  ways,  the  mental  independence,  modesty,  habits  of 
reading,  and  political  tendencies  of  the  people  elicit  from,  the 
Marquis  the  most  intelligent  sympathy ;  he  appreciated  the 
eminent  characters  to  whom  the  country  owed  her  safety  ;  he 
notes  with  accuracy  the  climate,  productions,  and  habits,  with 
which  he  comes  into  contact ;  but,  now  and  then,  a  tone  of 
pedantry  seems  inconsistent  with  the  scene  and  the  senti 
ment  ;  yet  sometimes  the  associations  of  both  naturally  excite 
classic  and  romantic  memories ;  he  quotes  Rabelais  and  Metas- 
tasio,  Moliere  and  Guarini ;  a  fair  country  girl  is  suggestive 
of  Greuze,  and  a  rural  Adonis  of  Marmontel ;  he  thinks  of 
Buffon  among  the  novel  birds  and  beasts  of  the  wild  ;  and  a 
Connecticut  statesman  reminds  him  of  a  Holland  stadtholder ; 
Philadelphia  is  a  modern  Capua,  and  he  praises  the  ladies  of 
that  city  for  skill  on  the  harpsichord  ;  and  the  fortified  High 
lands  of  the  Hudson  seem  a  war-girdled  Thrace  ;  he  contrasts 
the  silent  watchfulness  of  a  Quaker  meeting  with  the  chanting 
of  the  Church  of  England.  The  mocking  bird  and  the  moun 
tain  top,  grand  old  trees  and  original  human  beings  beguile  his 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  61 

fluent  pen.  As  a  digest  and  epitome  of  his  observations  in 
the  New  World,  his  discourse  on  "  The  Advantages  and  Dis 
advantages  resulting  to  Europe  from  Democracy  in  America," 
1787,  is  praised  by  La  Harpe  as  his  best  work,  and  seems  to 
have  definitely  settled  the  question,  as  proposed  by  Raynal,  in 
favor  of  the  advantages.  De  Chastellux  was  one  of  Pope 
Ganganelli's  correspondents ;  and  translated  Humphrey's 
"  Campaign."  The  period  of  his  sojourn  in  America  adds 
greatly  to  the  interest  of  his  account  thereof :  the  early  bat 
tle  fields  of  the  Revolution  were  yet  fresh,  and  the  momentous 
conflict  was  drawing  to  a  glorious  end  ;  he  saw  a  fair  fugitive 
from  the  Wyoming  massacre  at  a  New  England  tavern  ;  and 
parted  with  Washington  where  he  took  a  final  leave  of  his 
officers,  in  the  "  right-hand  room  "  of  the  old  headquarters 
at  Newburgh. 

One  of  the  biographers  of  Chastellux,  praising  his  accom 
plishments,  observes :  "  Cette  alliance  des  armes  et  des  lettres, 
moins  rares  autrefois,  fut  doublement  glorieux  pour  lui" 
His  "  Essay  sur  1'Union  de  la  Poesie  et  de  la  Musique  "  and 
his  "  Vies  de  quelques  grands  Capitaines  "  were  highly  com 
mended  by  Buftbn,  who  was  president  of  the  Academy  when 
the  Marquis  was  elected  a  member  ;  the  subject  of  the  latter's 
discours  $  entrance  was  Le  Gout :  an  appropriate  theme  for  a 
nobleman  whose  writings  indicate  the  cultivation  of  taste  in 
all  departments  as  a  mental  habit.  It  has  been  objected,  and 
justly,  to  his  philosophical  writings,  that  their  style  is  too 
ambitious ;  and,  in  this  respect,  the  simplicity  and  geniality 
of  his  less  pretentious  Travels  give  them  a  more  popular  tone 
and  scope.  They  were,  notwithstanding  their  immediate  suc 
cess,  bitterly  criticized  by  Brissot  de  Warville. 

An  English  gentleman,  who  lived  in  America  at  that  time, 
translated  the  Travels  of  the  Marquis  from  the  French,  and 
added  copious  notes.  Only  twenty-four  copies  of  the  original 
had  been  printed.  It  is  a  curious  illustration  of  the  period, 
that  "  at  a  time  when  there  was  very  little  hope  of  any  pack 
ets  reaching  Europe  but  by  means  of  duplicates,"  the  author 
availed  himself  of  the  little  printing  press  on  board  the  squad- 


02  AMERICA   AND   HEK   COMMENTATOES. 

ron  at  Rhode  Island.  Only  ten  out  of  the  twenty-four  arrived 
to  the  address  of  those  for  whom  they  were  destined,  and  who 
had  been  earnestly  requested  not  to  take  copies ;  but  such 
was  the  prevalent  desire  to  know  everything  possible  as  to 
the  condition  and  prospects  of  America  and  the  remarkable 
events  that  had  so  lately  transpired  there,  that  these  few  im 
pressions  were  widely  circulated ;  and  the  translation  before 
alluded  to  appeared  in  Dublin  and  afterward  in  London,  in 
1787.*  Whoever  would  compare  the  present  condition  of  a 
part  of  the  Southern  and  most  of  the  New  England  States 
with  that  of  eighty  years  ago,  will  find  few  more  pleasant 
authorities  than  the  Marquis  de  Chastellux.  He  united,  in  a 
singular  degree,  the  gentleman  and  the  scholar,  the  philosopher 
and  the  artist,  the  man  of  the  world  and  the  good  fellow ; 
accordingly  he  looked  upon  the  primitive  life,  the  original 
characters,  the  economical  resources,  and  the  natural  beauty 
around  him,  with  curiosity  and  sympathy  ;  he  had  the  facility 
of  intercourse,  the  liberal  culture,  the  desire  of  knowledge  so 
requisite  for  a  traveller  ;  and  he  was  alive  to  the  significance 
of  the  present  in  its  relation  to  the  future.  His  appreciation 
of  the  social  virtues  of  the  people  and  his  tolerance  of  their 
limited  means — his  interest  in  their  welfare,  and  his  respect 
for  their  cause,  are  evident  on  every  page.  No  foreigner  has 
manifested  a  greater  admiration  of  Washington,  or  more  truly 
described  his  bearing  and  principles.  Some  of  his  observa 
tions  are  full  of  interest  for  those  who  delight  to  trace  na 
tional  character  and  local  influence  to  their  sources.  Here  an 
anecdote,  and  there  a  description ;  now  military  details,  and 
again  social  traits  occupy  his  pen :  no  phase  of  domestic  econ 
omy  or  statistics  of  trade  and  agriculture,  no  pretty  face  or 
shrewd  comrade  which  accident  reveals  by  the  way,  is  allowed 
to  escape  him ;  so  that  unconsciously  he  prepared  a  book  of 
reference  whence  the  philosopher,  novelist,  and  historian  may 
still  draw  useful  hints.  It  was  in  the  spring  of  1782  that  the 
Marquis  de  Chastellux  travelled  through  Upper  Virginia,  and, 

*  "Travels  in  North  America,  in  the  Years  1780,  '81,  '82,"  2  vols.  8vo., 
maps,  London,  1787. 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  63 

during  the  ensuing  autumn,  through  Massachusetts,  New 
Hampshire,  and  part  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  accustomed 
thus  to  occupy  the  intervals  of  professional  duty  ;  and,  there 
fore,  his  journeys  were  undertaken  for  the  express  purpose  of 
acquainting  himself  with  the  country  and  people — a  fact  in 
dicative  of  liberal  curiosity  and  a  love  of  travel  for  its  own 
sake,  which  is  an  indispensable  requisite  for  the  pleasing  re 
port  thereof.  It  is  not  uninteresting  to  revert  to  some  of  the 
least  uncommon  experiences  of  such  a  writer,  especially  when 
we  are  familiar  with  the  places  described  as  they  appear  after 
nearly  a  century  of  prosperous  development :  we  thus  obtain 
veritable  glimpses  into  the  life  of  the  past.  At  the  outset  of 
his  journal  he  speaks  of  having  breakfasted  at  Providence, 
R.  I.,  "  with  Colonel  Peck.  He  received  me  in  a  small  house, 
where  he  lived  with  his  wife,  who  is  young  also,  and  has  a 
pleasing  countenance,  but  without  anything  striking.  This 
little  establishment,  where  comfort  and  simplicity  reign,  gave 
an  idea  of  that  sweet  and  serene  state  of  Happiness  which 
appears  to  have  taken  refuge  in  the  ISTew  World,  after  com 
pounding  it  with  Pleasure,  to  which  it  has  left  the  Old."  His 
local  facts  correspond  with  our  experience  of  the  town,  which 
he  describes  as  "  pent  between  two  chains  of  hills,  one  to  the 
north  and  the  other  to  the  southwest,  which  causes  an  insup 
portable  heat  in  summer ;  and  it  is  exposed  to  the  northwest 
wind,  which  rakes  it  from  one  end  to  the  other,  and  renders  it 
extremely  cold  in  winter.  Of  the  original  source  of  its  wealth 
to  the  inhabitants,  he  says  they  "  carry  on  the  Guinea  trade — 
buy  slaves  and  carry  them  to  the  West  Indies,  where  they 
take  bills  of  exchange  on  old  England,  for  which  they  receive 
woollen  stuffs  and  other  merchandise."  He  never  fails  to 
note  the  accommodations  at  the  inns,  and  is  minute  in  com 
ments  on  female  character  and  appearance  ;  thus,  describing  a 
maiden  at  a  house  where  he  tarried  in  Rhode  Island,  he  says  : 
"  This  young  person  had,  like  all  American  women,  a  very 
decent,  nay,  even  serious  carriage  ;  she  had  no  objection  to 
be  looked  at,  nor  to  have  her  beauty  commended,  nor  even  to 
receive  a  few  caresses,  provided  it  was  done  without  an  air 


64:  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

of  familiarity  or  libertinism.  Licentious  manners,  in  fact, 
are  so  foreign  in  America,  that  freedom  itself  there  bears  a 
character  of  modesty."  He  remarks,  as  a  striking  circum 
stance,  that  in  every  house  he  found  books  which  were  evi 
dently  read  ;  a  "  town  "  in  America,  he  observes,  means  "  a 
few  houses  grouped  round  a  church  and  tavern."  The  obsta 
cles  to  travelling  he  finds  incessant,  having  often  to  cross  fer 
ries  and  to  transport  provisions  and  baggage  on  carts ;  he 
alludes  to  a  landlady's  expression  that  she  could  not  spare  one 
bed,  as  a  local  idiom.  The  chief  man  at  Hartford,  in  those 
days,  was  Colonel  Wadsworth.  The  Marquis  was  his  guest, 
and  speaks  of  his  honesty  as  commissary  to  supply  the  French 
troops,  and  of  the  high  regard  in  which  he  was  held  by  Wash 
ington  and  Lafayette.  Of  Governor  Trumbull  he  says  :  "  He 
has  all  the  simplicity  in  his  dress,  all  the  importance  and  even 
pedantry,  becoming  the  chief  magistrate  of  a  small  republic. 
He  brought  to  my  mind  the  burgomasters  of  Holland  in  the 
time  of  the  Barnevelts."  He  examined  manufactures,  con 
versed  with  intelligent  men,  noted  the  "  lay  of  the  land,"  and 
estimated  local  resources ;  he  was  delighted  at  the  sight  of  a 
bluebird,  and  descants  upon  the  limited  nomenclature  which 
designated  every  water  bird  as  a  duck,  from  the  teal  to  the 
bla-ck  duck,  distinguishing  them  only  by  the  term  "  red," 
"  wood,"  &c. ;  and  calling  cypress,  firs,  &c.,  all  pine  trees. 
He  is  impressed  with  the  sight  of  "  mountains  covered  with 
woods  as  old  as  the  creation  ;"  thinks  always  of  Buffon  as  so 
many  objects  of  natural  history  come  in  view ;  and  expe 
riences  a  sensation  of  wonder  when,  in  the  midst  of  "  ancient 
deserts,"  he  comes  upon  traces  of  a  "  settlement ; "  the  process 
whereof  he  describes — how  the  rude  hut  gives  place  to  the 
wooden  house,  the  woods  to  the  clearing ;  and  then  comes 
a  piece  of  tilled  land,  and  more ,  trees  are  girdled  and 
other  roofs  are  raised,  at  which  neighbors  "  assist  "  "  with  no 
other  recompense  than  a  barrel  of  cider  or  a  gallon  of  rum." 
"  Such  are  the  means,"  he  adds,  "  by  which  North  America, 
only  a  hundred  years  ago  a  vast  forest,  is  peopled  with  three 
millions  of  inhabitants."  As  illustrative  of  the  equality  of 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS    AND    WRITERS.  65 

condition  and  personal  independence,  he  speaks  of  the  indif 
ferent  reception  often  met  with  at  the  inns,  where  travellers 
often  give  "  more  trouble  than  money,"  and  of  the  custom 
of  the  country,  when  a  public  house  is  not  at  hand,  for  the 
traveller  to  claim  and  pay  for  byway  hospitality.  He  com 
pares  this  conduct  with  the  obsequious  manners  of  innkeepers 
in  France,  and  accounts  for  it  by  the  fact  that,  in  this  primi 
tive  community,  "  innkeepers  are  independent  of  their  voca 
tion."  He  found  broken  panes  common,  and  glaziers  rare ; 
he  is  enraptured  with  the  scenery  of  the  Housatonic,  and  the 
Hudson  Highlands.  Amid  the  latter  he  is  saluted  with  thir 
teen  guns  as  major-general,  by  General  Heath,  then  in  com- 
mancf  there,  the  echoes  whereof  are  marvellous  ;  the  scene  of 
Arnold's  treason  inspires  him  with  grave  thoughts ;  he  de 
scribes  the  batteries,  praises  the  officer  in  command,  and  ad 
mires  the  magnificent  view.  "  The  guns  they  fired,"  he  says, 
"  had  belonged  to  Burgoyne's  army."  Here  he  is  entertained 
by  the  officers,  enjoys  their  reminiscences  of  the  war,  and  talks 
over  the  treason  of  Arnold,  then  but  two  years  old  ;  he  visited 
Smith's  house,  and  reflects  earnestly  on  this  memorable  inci 
dent  :  "  in  this  warlike  abode,"  he  declares,  "  one  seems 
transported  to  the  bottom  of  Thrace,  and  the  dominions  of 
the  god  Mars  ; "  thence  he  goes  to  Lafayette's  camp,  and  notes 
details  as  to  the  state  of  the  army  ;  on  seeking  his  first  inter 
view  with  Washington,  he  finds  him  talking  with  his  officers 
in  a  farmyard,  "  a  tall  man,  five  feet  nine  inches  high,  of  a 
noble  and  mild  countenance  ; "  by  the  chief  he  is  immediately 
presented  to  Knox,  Wayne,  Hamilton,  and  others.  After 
three  days  of  delightful  intercourse  with  the  leaders  of  the 
American  army  at  headquarters,  he  breakfasts  with  Lord  Stir 
ling,  and,  upon  taking  leave  of  Washington,  is  presented  by  him 
with  a  horse,  of  which  he  stood  hi  much  need  ;  and  proceeds 
to  New  Jersey,  where  he  visits  the  battle  fields  of  Trenton, 
Monmouth,  and  Princeton ;  at  the  latter  place  visiting  Dr. 
Witherspoon,  the  head  of  the  college  ;  and  enjoying  the  novel 
carols  of  a  mocking  bird.  "  Addison  said,"  he  writes,  "  in 
visiting  the  different  monuments  of  Italy,  that  he  imagined 


66  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

himself  on  classic  ground;  all  my  steps  were  on  martial 
ground ;  I  went,  in  the  same  morning,  to  see  two  fields  of 
battle."  He  finds  the  custom  of  giving  toasts  and  speeches 
at  table  very  irksome ;  and,  in  allusion  to  Governor  Living 
ston,  of  New  Jersey,  remarks,  "  I  have  often  had  occasion  to 
observe  there  is  more  of  ceremony  than  of  compliment  in 
America,"  a  discriminating  view  of  the  manners  of  that  time. 
At  Philadelphia,  the  Marquis  notes  his  intercourse  with  Reed, 
whose  correspondence  with  Washington  so  fully  illustrates 
the  anxious  perplexities  of  that  immaculate  patriot's  life  dur 
ing  the  war ;  he  speaks  of  a  visit  to  Dr.  Franklin's  daughter, 
Mrs.  Bache,  whom  he  found  "  simple  in  her  manners,  like  her 
respectable  father,  and  possessed  of  kindred  benevolence  of 
disposition ; "  Robert  Morris  he  describes  as  a  "  large  man, 
very  simple  in  his  manners,  but  his  mind  is  subtile  and  acute  ; 
his  head  is  perfectly  well  organized,  and  he  is  as  well  versed 
in  public  affairs  as  in  his  own ;  a  zealous  republican  and  an 
Epicurean  philosopher,  he  has  always  played  a  distinguished 
part  at  table  and  in  business."  He  enjoyed  interviews  with 
Rittenhouse  and  Tom  Paine,  and  had  a  talk  on  government 
with  Samuel  Adams.  Nothing  can  be  imagined  more  oppo 
site  than  the  social  code  of  a  Frenchman  and  a  Quaker,  the 
one  having  such  excessive  faith  in  manner  and  dealing  so 
fluently  in  verbal  courtesies,  and  the  other  repudiating  both 
as  inimical  to  spiritual  integrity.  Yet  there  is  no  trait  of 
the  American  character,  as  then  exhibited,  which  won  more 
sincere  admiration  from  this  soldier  and  nobleman  than  its 
simplicity  ;  it  is  the  constant  theme  of  his  eulogy ;  but  this 
beautiful  quality  did  not  strike  him  as  spontaneous  and  can 
did  in  the  Quakers  whom  he  met  in  the  city  of  brotherly 
love :  "  The  law,"  he  writes,  "  observed  by  this  sect,  of  neither 
using  you  nor  sir,  is  far  from  giving  them  a  tone  of  simplici 
ty  and  candor ;  they  in  general  assume  a  smooth  and  whee 
dling  tone,  which  is  altogether  Jesuitical."  Philadelphia,  it 
would  appear  from  the  experience  of  the  Marquis,  was  as 
famous  then  as  now  for  its  market  and  household  comfort ; 
for  he  expresses  a  fear  lest  the  "  pleasures  of  Capua  should 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS  AND    WRITERS.  67 

make  him  forget  the  campaigns  of  Hannibal ; "  he  therefore 
determines  to  leave  the  luxury  of  the  city,  and  explore  the 
recent  battle  fields  of  Germantown  and  Brandywine. 

The  public  beneficence  of  Philadelphia,  as  indicated  by  the 
endowment  of  hospitals  and  corrective  institutions,  had  al 
ready  become  a  marked  feature ;  but  the  Marquis  comments 
on  a  defect,  soon  after  remedied — the  absence  of  a  public 
walk.  Milton,  Addison,  and  Richardson  he  found  the  authors 
chiefly  read  by  the  young  women  ;  and  so  universal  was  the 
interest  in  and  knowledge  of  civic  affairs,  that  he  declares 
that  "  all  American  conversation  must  finish  with  politics." 
His  winter  journey  to  Saratoga  was  a  formidable  undertak 
ing,  or  would  have  been  to  a  gentleman  unfamiliar  with  the 
hardy  discipline  of  the  camp  ;  its  principal  episodes  of  interest 
were  the  view  of  Cohoes  Falls,  and  a  visit  to  General  Schuy- 
ler,  just  after  the  marriage  of  his  daughter  with  Hamilton ; 
he  inspected  some  interesting  documents  revealing  the  actual 
condition  of  Canada,  and  expatiates  on  the  novel  excitement 
and  exposure  of  what  he  calls  a  "  sledge  ride."  With  the 
present  byway  scenery  of  the  railroad  which  intersects  the 
central  part  of  New  York  State,  it  is  instructive  to  read  his 
account  of  that  region,  through  which,  by  slow  stages,  he 
penetrated  from  town  to  fort  and  through  a  snow-shrouded 
wilderness.  "  The  country,"  he  tells  us,  "  which  lies  between 
Albany  and  Schenectady,  is  nothing  but  an  immense  forest 
of  pine  trees,  untouched  by  the  hatchet.  They  are  lofty  and 
robust ;  and,  as  nothing  grows  in  their  shade,  a  line  of  cavalry 
might  traverse  the  wood  without  breaking  their  line  or  defil 
ing."  Schenectady  contained  then  but  five  hundred  houses 
"  within  the  palisades  ; "  diverging  from  his  road,  he  visited  a 
Mohawk  settlement,  a  few  straggling  descendants  of  which 
tribe  the  traveller  of  to-day  still  encounters,  in  that  vicinity, 
among  the  peddling  habitues  of  the  railway  cars.  He  also 
saw,  on  the  way  to  Fort  Edward,  the  house  formerly  the 
home  of  the  unfortunate  Jane  McKca ;  startled  a  bevy  of 
quails,  and,  at  a  wayside  inn,  saw  a  girl  "  whom  Greuze  would 
have  been  happy  to  have  taken  as  a  model ; "  while,  on  his 


68  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

chamber  table,  he  found  an  abridgment  of  Newton's  Philoso 
phy,  and  discovered  that  his  landlord,  a  surveyor  by  profes 
sion,  and  incessantly  occupied  in  measuring  land,  was  well 
versed  in  Physics.  The  Marquis,  after  thus  journeying 
through  the  northern  section  of  the  country,  observing  its 
peculiarities,  seeking  the  acquaintance  of  its  leading  men,  and 
visiting  the  scenes  of  the  war,  yet  fresh  in  association  and 
destined  to  become  memorably  historical,  rejoined  the  French 
army  then  stationed  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  whence,  after  a  brief 
interval,  he  started  on  a  Southern  expedition. 

The  Marquis  thus  records  his  method  of  setting  out  on  a 
journey  into  Virginia,  eighty-four  years  ago  :  "  On  the  eighth 
of  the  month  I  set  out  with  Mr.  Lynch,  then  my  aide-de-camp 
and  adjutant,  now  general ;  Mr.  Frank  Dillon,  my  second  aide, 
and  Mons.  la  Chevalier  d'Oyre,  of  the  engineers,  six  servants, 
and  a  led  horse  composed  our  train  ;  so  that  our  little  caravan 
consisted  of  four  .masters,  six  servants,  and  eleven  horses." 
At  the  very  outset  of  the  expedition  he  notes  that  capricious 
state  of  the  climate  which  in  our  country  so  often  blends  the 
aspect  of  different  seasons  ;  writing  of  the  month  of  April,  he 
says  :  "  I  regretted  to  find  summer  in  the  heavens,  while  the 
earth  aiforded  not  the  smallest  appearance  of  spring;"  the 
devastations  of  war  were  yet  fresh  ;  he  sojourned  at  a  house 
which  "  had  been  pillaged  by  the  English  ;  they  had  taken  the 
very  boots  off  the  owner's  legs."  On  this  journey  he  first 
made  acquaintance  with  a  mocking  bird,  and  gives  a  lively 
description  of  its  performance :  "  Apparently  delighted  at 
having  an  auditor,  it  kept  hopping  from  branch  to  branch,  and 
imitated  the  jay,  lapwing,  raven,  cardinal,  &c."  He  finds  "  a 
garden  in  the  English  style  ; "  court  houses  usually  in  the  cen 
tre  of  counties ;  daughters  of  the  isolated  planters,  "  pretty 
nymphs,  more  timid  and  wild  than  Diana  ; "  and,  approaching 
the  South,  observes  a  different  kind  of  popular  amusement  and 
of  traffic  than  prevailed  in  New  England,  especialy  cock  fight 
ing  and  horse  trading ;  he  is  struck  with  the  conjugal  epithet  of 
his  landlord,  who  calls  his  wife  "  honey,"  which  he  regards  as 
synonymous  with  the  French  term  of  endearment — mon  petit 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS    AND    WRITERS.  69 

coeur ;  with  him  the  transition  from  gallant  to  economical 
details  is  easy,  and,  traversing  the  then  sparsely  inhabited 
region  comprised  within  and  around  the  State  of  Virginia,  he 
observes  the  frequent  instances,  among  the  inhabitants,  of 
"  patriarchal  agriculture,  which  consists  in  producing  only 
what  is  sufficient  for  their  own  consumption ;  "  and  remarks 
that  "  nails  are  the  articles  most  wanted  in  these  new  colo 
nies  ;  for  the  axe  and  saw  can  supply  every  other  want."  He 
visits  Monticello,  a  name  signifying  little  mountain,  though 
he  finds  it  a  big  one,  and  the  house  of  Jefferson  "  in  the 
Italian  style,  and  more  architectural  than  any  in  the  coun 
try;"  while  the  master  thereof  elicits  all  his  enthusiasm: 
"  Let  me  describe,"  he  writes,  "  a  man  not  yet  forty — tall, 
and  with  a  mild  and  pleasant  countenance  ;  but  whose  mind 
and  understanding  are  ample  substitutes  for  every  exterior 
grace ;  an  American  who,  without  ever  having  quitted  his 
own  country,  is  at  once  a  musician,  skilled  in  drawing,  a 
natural  philosopher,  legislator,  and  statesman.  Before  I  had 
been  two  hours  with  him,  we  were  as  intimate  as  if  we  had 
passed  our  whole  lives  together  ;  walking,  books,  but,  above 
all,  conversation  always  varied  and  interesting,  made  four 
days  pass  away  like  so  many  minutes."  The  twain  grew  elo 
quent  about  Ossian  over  a  bowl  of  punch,  and  speculated 
upon  the  genus  of  American  deer,  which  Jefferson  fed  with 
Indian  corn,  and  the  Marquis  describes  as  half  roebuck  and 
half  English  deer.  They  also  engaged  in  a  meteorological 
discussion,  and  expatiated  on  the  advantages  for  observations 
in  this  then  embryo  science,  afforded  by  the  extent  and  va 
riety  of  the  American  climate.  Jefferson  stated  some  inter 
esting  results  of  his  observations  as  to  the  effect  of  woods  in 
breaking  clouds  and  absorbing  exhalations.  Political  and 
social  questions  were  not  forgotten  by  the  two  philosophers  : 
"  A  Virginian,"  writes  the  Marquis,  "  never  resembles  a  Euro 
pean  peasant ;  he  is  always  a  freeman,  participates  in  the  gov 
ernment,  and  has  the  command  of  a  few  negroes,  so  that, 
uniting  in  himself  the  two  qualities  of  citizen  and  master,  he 
perfectly  resembles  the  bulk  of  individuals  who  formed  what 


TO  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

were  called  the  i  people  '  in  the  ancient  republics."  He  also 
expresses  the  conviction  that  "  the  dignity  of  man  is  rela 
tive  ; "  and  is  struck  with  the  superior  riflemen  of  the  Vir 
ginia  militia ;  he  finds  novel  sport  in  shooting  a  wood  hen, 
and  discovers  quite  an  ideal  rustic  in  the  person  of  a  hand 
some  miller :  "  He  was  a  young  man,  twenty-two  years  of 
age,  whose  charming  face,  fine  teeth,  red  lips,  and  rosy  cheeks 
recalled  to  mind  the  pleasant  portrait  which  Marmontel  gives 
of  Lubin."  The  alternation  of  pastoral,  patriarchal,  and  aris 
tocratic  manners,  the  aboriginal  traditions,  the  grand  econom 
ical  resources  observed,  and  frequent  personal  discomfort  ex 
perienced,  offered  to  his  thoughtful,  susceptible,  and  adventur 
rous  mind  constant  subjects  of  interest — a  vivid  contrast  with 
the  society  and  condition  of  the  Old  World,  a  freshness  and 
freedom  combined  with  hardihood  and  privation,  an  originality 
of  character  and  vast  promise  for  humanity ;  the  primitive  and 
the  cultivated  elements  of  life  were  brought  into  frequent 
contact ;  and  the  urbane  and  intelligent  French  officer  seems 
to  have  had  an  eye  and  a  heart  for  all  around  him  suggestive 
of  the  past  or  prophetic  of  the  future.  By  a  most  toilsome 
and  perplexing  access,  he  visited  the  Natural  Bridge  of  Vir 
ginia  ;  delighted  with  this  wonderful  structure,  he  measured 
its  dimensions  with  care,  and*  speculated  upon  its  formation 
with  curiosity  ;  it  excited  in  his  mind  a  kind  of  "  melancholy 
admiration." 

Another  characteristic  scene  which  impressed  him  was  a 
conflagration  in  the  woods — a  feature  of  the  landscape  which, 
to  his  European  vision,  was  ever  fraught  with  interest ;  he 
records  his  appreciation  of  the  "  strong,  robust  oaks  and  im 
mense  pines,  sufficient  for  all  the  fleets  of  Europe,"  which 
"•here  grow  old  and  perish  on  their  native  soil."  He  is  much 
struck  with  the  cheerful  spirit  with  which  emigration  goes  on 
in  the  New  World,  when  he  encounters,  in  the  lonely  wild, 
a  buoyant  adventurer  "  with  only  a  horse,  saddle  bags,  cash 
to  buy  land,  and  a  young  wife  ; "  of  the  latter  he  observes  : 
"  I  saw,  not  without  astonishment,  that  her  natural  charms 
were  even  embellished  by  the  serenity  of  her  mind."  The 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  Tl 

importance  to  a  traveller  of  a  love  of  nature  and  an  eye  for 
character,  is  signally  manifest  in  the  American  travels  of 
Chastellux.  To  one  destitute  of  these  resources  the  journey 
thus  described  would  have  been  irksome,  through  its  mo 
notony  and  discomfort.  But  the  vivacious  and  amiable 
French  officer  found  novelty  in  the  wild  creatures,  the  vegeta 
tion,  and  the  people  he  encountered  ;  he  was  constantly  alive 
to  the  fact  that  he  was  traversing  a  new  country,  and  there 
fore  bound  to  observe  all  its  phases ;  it  is  surprising  how 
much  he  discovered  to  awaken  pleasant  memories  of  his 
studies  and  experience  in  Europe  ;  how  the  charms  of  nature 
suggested  reminiscences  of  art,  and  the  individuality  of  char 
acter  recalled  the  celebrities  of  other  eras  and  climes.  A  vul 
gar  mind,  an  ignorant  man,  would  have  hastened  through  the 
rude  domain,  and  sought  amusement  only  in  the  more  settled 
and  populous  districts  ;  but  the  resources  and  character  of 
the  country,  the  eminent  among  its  inhabitants,  their  sacred 
struggle  for  freedom,  and  the  vast  possibilities  incident  to 
such  an  extent  of  territory  and  to  a  great  political  experiment, 
quickened  the  sympathies  and  enlisted  the  careful  observation 
of  the  cultivated  soldier.  The  rabbit  that  runs  across  his 
woodland  path,  the  delicate  pink  blossoms  of  the  peach  trees 
in  a  settler's  orchard,  the  novel  sight  of  a  marmoset  caught  by 
the  way,  a  fat  and  original  landlord,  tobacco  "  as  a  circulating 
medium,"  and  the  magnificent  prospect  from  the  summit  of 
the  Blue  Ridge,  suffice  to  occupy  and  interest.  A  fair  Vir 
ginian  recalls  to  his  mind  "  those  beautiful  Virgins  of  Raph 
ael  ; "  he  is  agreeably  surprised  at  the  opportunity  of  prac 
tising  Italian  with  a  cook  of  that  nation  he  finds  in  a  Rich 
mond  inn,  and  is  eloquent  in  describing  the  humming  bird, 
and  precise  in  delineating  the  sturgeon  ;  repeats  the  story  of 
Pocahontas  amid  the  local  traditions  that  endear  her  memory, 
and  thinks  one  "  must  be  fatigued  with  hearing  the  name  of 
Randolph  while  travelling  in  Virginia."  It  would  appear 
that  "  young  America  "  was  as  real  then  as  now :  "  The  youth 
of  both  sexes,"  he  says,  "  are  more  forward  and  ripe  than 
with  us ;  and  our  maturity  is  more  prolonged."  Still  he  finds 


72  AMEIUCA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

special  charms  in  the  Old  Dominion,  and  thinks  the  inhabit 
ants  of  Virginia  best  situated  of  all  the  colonists  under  the 
English  Government.  "  The  Government,"  he  adds,  "  may 
become  democratic  at  the  present  moment ;  but  the  national 
character,  the  spirit  of  the  Government  itself,  will  always  be 
aristocratic  ;  it  was  originally  a  '  company '  composed  of  the 
men  most  distinguished  for  their  rank  and  birth."  He  appre 
ciates  the  diversity  of  political  origin  and  local  character  in 
the  different  sections  of  the  country ;  observing  that  New 
England  was  settled  "  to  escape  arbitrary  power " — New 
York  and  the  Jerseys  by  necessitous  Dutchmen,  "  who  occu 
pied  themselves  more  about  domestic  economy  than  the  pub 
lic  government ; "  that  of  Pennsylvania  he  considers  a  "  gov 
ernment  of  property — feudal,  or,  if  you  will,  patriarchal."  He 
describes  the  domestic  luxury  of  the  Virginians  as  con 
sisting  in  "  furniture,  linen,  and  plate,  in  which  they  resemble 
our  ancestors,  who  had  neither  cabinets  nor  wardrobes  in  their 
castles,  but  contented  themselves  with  a  well-stored  cellar  and 
a  handsome  buffet"  In  analyzing  their  domestic  life,  he 
makes  the  just  and  suggestive  remark,  "  they  are  very  fond  of 
their  infants,  but  care  little  for  their  children"  which  trait, 
in  a  measure,  explains  the  facility  with  which  families  dis 
perse,  and  the  early  separation  of  households,  wherein  our 
civilization  is  so  different  from  that  of  the  Old  World.  It  is 
both  curious  and  instructive,  at  this  moment,  when  her  soil 
has  been  stained  and  furrowed  by  contending  armies,  which 
rebellious  slaveholders  evoked  by  violence  because  of  an  indi 
rect  and  legitimate  interference  with  "  property  in  man,"  to 
note  the  calm  statement  of  this  disinterested  traveller,  after  free 
intercourse  with  all  classes  of  Virginians,  eighty  years  ago : 
"  They  seem  afflicted,"  he  writes,  "  to  have  any  slavery,  and 
are  constantly  talking  of  abolishing  it,  and  of  contriving 
some  other  means  of  cultivating  their  estates ; "  the  motives 
thereto,  he  says,  are  various — young  men  being  thus  disposed 
from  "justice  and  the  rights  of  humanity,"  while  "fathers 
complain  that  the  maintenance  of  their  negroes  is  very  ex 
pensive." 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  73 

The  Marquis,  in  a  subsequent  journey,  after  visiting  Con 
cord,  made  a  careful  observation  of  Dorchester  and  Bunker 
Hill ;  and,  in  reference  to  the  battle  at  the  latter  place,  he 
remarks  that  "  without  the  protection  of  the  shipping,  the 
British  could  not  have  embarked  to  return  from  Bunker  Hill ; 
the  little  army  in  Boston  would,  in  that  case,  have  been  almost, 
totally  destroyed,  and  the  town  must,  of  course,  have  been 
evacuated.  But  what  would  have  been  the  result  of  this  ? 
Independence  was  not  then  declared,  and  the  road  to  negotia 
tion  was  still  open  ;  an  accommodation  might  have  taken  place 
between  the  colonies  and  the  mother  country,  and  animosities 
might  have  subsided."  While  at  Portsmouth,  1ST.  H.,  on  Sun 
day,  he  attended  church,  and  heard  the  father  of  one  of  Bos 
ton's  most  endeared  young  divines ;  his  comment  on  the  dis 
course  is  characteristic  both  of  the  writer  and  of  the  times : 
"  The  audience  was  not  numerous,  on  account  of  the  severe 
cold ;  but  I  saw  some  handsome  women,  elegantly  dressed. 
Mr.  Buckminster,  a  young  minister,  spoke  with  a  great  deal 
of  grace,  and  reasonably  enough  for  a  preacher.  I  could  not 
help  admiring  the  address  with  which  he  introduced  politics 
into  his  sermon."  One  of  those  old-fashioned  brick  dwellings, 
with  front  yard,  wide  portal,  and  broad  staircase,  wherein  of 
yore  abode  the  colonial  aristocracy  of  New  England,  still 
stands,  with  its  venerable  trees,  in  this  pleasant  town  ;  and  is 
still  the  abode  of  genial  hospitality ;  there  our  traveller 
"  drank  tea  at  Mr.  Langdon's  ; "  and,  impressed  with  the  pros 
perous  situation  and  evident  wealth  of  the  place,  he  declares 
"  there  is  every  appearance  of  its  becoming  to  New  England 
what  the  other  Portsmouth  is  to  old."  To  those  familiar 
with  the  old  localities  and  associations  of  Boston,  it  is  not  un 
interesting  to  know,  from  the  journal  of  the  Marquis,  that, 
when,  in  1782,  he  visited  the  metropolis  of  New  England,  he 
first  "  alighted  at  Mr.  Brackett's,  the  Cromwell's  Head  inn  ; 
and,  after  dinner,  went  to  the  lodgings  proposed  for  me,  at 
Mr.  Colson's,  a  glover,  in  the  Main  street."  In  the  evening 
he  attended  the  "  association  ball,"  which,  he  tells  us,  "  was 
opened  by  the  Marquis  de  Yaudreuil  with  Mrs.  Temple  ;  and 
4 


74:  AMERICA   AND    HER   COMMENTATORS. 

that  "  the  prettiest  of  the  women  dancers  were  Mrs.  Jarvis, 
her  sister  Mrs.  Betsy  Broom,  and  Mrs.  Whitmore."  He  calls 
on  Hancock,  who  is  too  ill  with  the  gout  to  see  him ;  but  is 
more  fortunate  in  finding  Dr.  Willard,  president  of  Cam 
bridge  University ;  he  meets  Mrs.  Tudor,  Mrs.  Morton,  and 
Mrs.  Swan  at  a  party ;  drinks  tea  with  Mrs.  Bowdoin,  and 
finds  the  younger  lady  of  that  name  "  has  a  mild  and  agree 
able  countenance,  and  a  character  corresponding  with  her 
appearance  ; "  he  dines  with  Mr.  Breck ;  of  Mrs.  Temple  he 
writes  :  "  Her  figure  is  so  distinguished  as  to  make  it  neces 
sary  to  pronounce  her  truly  beautiful ; "  and  describes  a  girl 
of  twelve  he  meets  at  the  house  of  one  of  his  Boston  acquaint 
ance  as  "  neither  a  handsome  child  nor  a  pretty  woman,  but 
rather  an  angel ; "  he  notes  "  feather  beds  "  as  a  local  pecu 
liarity  ;  and  praises  the  skill  of  Dr.  Jarvis,  and  the  wisdom 
of  Dr.  Cooper. 

The  Marquis  of  Chastellux,  as  we  have  seen,  took  leave  of 
Washington  at  Newburgh,  in  the  "  parlor  on  the  right "  as 
you  enter  the  low-roofed  stone  farmhouse,  now  preserved 
there  as  national  property,  and  consecrated  as  the  "  head 
quarters "  of  our  peerless  chief;  "it  is  not  difficult,"  writes 
the  French  officer,  "  to  imagine  the  pain  this  separation  gave 
me ;  but  I  have  too  much  pleasure  in  recollecting  the  real 
tenderness  with  which  it  affected  him,  not  to  take  a  pride  in 
mentioning  it."  If  an  ardent  yet  judicious  appreciation  of  his 
character  merited  such  regrets  at  parting,  few  of  his  foreign 
friends  deserved  it  more  than  Chastellux,  whose  written  por 
trait  of  the  American  leader  was  the  most  elaborate  and  dis 
criminating  of  contemporary  delineations ;  familiar  as  it  is, 
we  cannot  better  take  leave  of  the  courteous  and  intelligent 
nobleman  and  soldier  than  by  quoting  it : 

"  Here  would  be  the  proper  place  to  give  the  portrait  of  General 
Washington ;  but  what  can  my  testimony  add  to  the  idea  already 
formed  of  him  ?  The  continent  of  North  America,  from  Boston  to 
Charleston,  is  a  great  volume,  every  page  of  which  presents  his  eulo- 
gium.  I  know  that  having  had  the  opportunity  of  a  near  inspection, 
and  of  closely  observing  him,  some  more  particular  details  may  be 


FRENCH    TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  75 

expected  from  me ;  but  the  strongest  characteristic  of  this  respected 
man  is  the  perfect  union  which  reigns  between  the  physical  and 
moral  qualities  which  compose  the  individual :  one  alone  will  enable 
you  to  judge  of  all  the  rest.  If  you  are  presented  with  medals  of 
Csesar,  of  Trajan,  or  Alexander,  on  examining  their  features  you  will 
be  led  to  ask  what  was  their  stature  and  the  form  of  their  persons  : 
but,  if  you  discover  in  a  heap  of  ruins  the  head  or  the  limb  of  an  an 
tique  Apollo,  be  not  anxious  about  the  other  parts,  but  rest  assured 
that  they  were  all  conformable  to  those  of  a  god.  Let  not  this  com 
parison  be  attributed  to  enthusiasm.  I  wish  only  to  express  the  im 
pression  General  Washington  has  left  on  my  mind ;  the  idea  of  a 
perfect  whole — which  cannot  be  the  product  of  enthusiasm,  but 
would  rather  reject  it,  since  the  effect  of  proportion  is  to  diminish 
the  idea  of  greatness.  Brave  without  temerity,  laborious  without 
ambition,  generous  without  prodigality,  noble  without  pride,  virtuous 
without  severity — he  seems  always  to  have  confined  himself  within 
those  limits  where  the  virtues,  by  clothing  themselves  in  more  lively 
but  less  changeable  and  doubtful  colors,  may  be  mistaken  for  faults. 
This  is  the  seventh  year  that  he  has  commanded  the  army,  and  that 
he  has  obeyed  the  Congress ;  more  need  not  be  said,  especially  in 
America,  where  they  know  how  to  appreciate  all  the  merit  contained 
in  this  simple  fact.  Let  it  be  repeated  that  Conde"  was  intrepid,  Tu- 
renne  prudent,  Eugene  adroit,  Catinat  disinterested.  It  is  not  thus 
that  Washington  will  be  characterized.  It  will  be  said  of  him,  at  the 
end  of  a  long  civil  war,  he  had  nothing  with  which  he  could  reproach 
himself.  If  anything  can  be  more  marvellous  than  such  a  character 
it  is  the  unanimity  of  the  public  suffrages  in  his  favor.  Soldier, 
magistrate,  people — all  love  and  admire  him ;  all  speak  of  him  in 
terms  of  tenderness  and  veneration.  Does  there  then  exist  a  virtue 
capable  of  restraining  the  injustice  of  mankind,  or  a  glory  and  hap 
piness  too  recently  established  in  America  for  Envy  to  have  deigned 
to  pass  the  seas  ? 

"  In  speaking  of  this  perfect  whole,  of  which  General  Washington 
furnishes  the  idea,  I  have  not  excluded  exterior  form.  His  stature 
is  noble  and  lofty;  he  is  well  made  and  exactly  proportioned ;  his 
physiognomy  mild  and  agreeable,  but  such  as  to  render  it  impossible 
to  speak  particularly  of  any  of  his  features,  so  that,  in  quitting  him, 
you  have  only  the  recollection  of  a  fine  face.  He  has  neither  a  grave 
nor  a  familiar  air;  his  brow  is  sometimes  marked  with  thought,  but 
never  with  inquietude ;  in  inspiring  respect,  he  inspires  confidence, 
and  his  smile  is  always  the  smile  of  benevolence." 

Nor  did  the  Marquis  fail  to  remember  his  American 
friends  and  advocate  their  country  when  returned  to  his 


76  AMERICA   AND   HEE   COMMENTATOES. 

own.  He  translated  the  Address  to  the  American  Armies, 
written  in  heroic  verse,  in  1782,  by  Colonel  Humphreys  ;  and, 
in  a  letter  to  Franklin,  dated  at  Paris,  June  21st,  1786,  he  says : 
"  When  you  were  in  France  there  was  no  need  praising  the 
Americans ;  for  we  had  only  to  say,  '  Look,  here  is  their  repre 
sentative.'  But,  however  worthily  your  place  may  have  since 
been  filled,  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  arouse  anew  the  interest 
of  a  kind-hearted  but  thoughtless  nation.  Such  has  been  my 
motive  in  translating  Colonel  Humphrey's  poem.  My  success 
has  fully  equalled  and  even  surpassed  my  expectations.  Not 
only  has  the  public  received  the  work  with  favor,  but  it  has 
succeeded  perfectly  at  court,  especially  with  the  king  and 
queen,  who  have  praised  it  highly." 

L'Abbe  Robin  was  a  chaplain  in  the  Count  Rochambeau's 
army.  He  writes  in  the  same  genial  strain  as  most  of  his 
countrymen,  with  the  peculiar  kind  of  observation  and  tone 
of  sentiment  which  marks  almost  all  French  travels.  He  was 
touched  and  repelled,  at  the  same  time,  by  the  domestic  life 
of  New  England — its  religious  teachings  and  exemplary  duti- 
ftilness  ;  while  he  laments  the  fragile  beauty  of  her  daughters, 
and  speaks  of  rum  as  the  commodity  which  served  as  a  con 
necting  link  between  Yankeeland  and  the  French  colonies. 
Sunday  in  the  Puritan  capital,  impresses  him  strongly,  and  he 
discovers,  by  the  dates  on  the  tombstones,  that  the  women 
there  are  short  lived;  the  following  letter,  dated  Boston, 
14th  June,  1781,  is  a  fair  specimen  of  the  Abbe's  manner  of 
viewing  things,  while  it  is  a  curious  picture  of  the  "  hub  of 
the  universe  "  eighty  years  ago  : 

"  At  last,  after  two  more  days  of  anxiety  and  peril,  and  of  sickness 
to  me,' a  favorable  breeze  sprang  up  and  brought  us  safety  into  the 
roadstead  of  Boston.  In  this  roadstead,  studded  with  pleasant  islands, 
we  saw,  over  the  trees  on  the  west,  the  houses  rising  amphitheatre- 
like,  and  forming  along  the  hillsides  a  semicircle  of  nearly  half  a 
league ;  this  was  the  town  of  Boston. 

"  The  high  regular  buildings,  intermingled  with  steeples,  appear 
ed  to  us  more  like  a  long-established  town  of  the  continent  than  that 
of  a  recent  colony.  The  view  of  its  interior  did  not  dissipate  the 
opinion  which  was  formed  at  first  sight.  A  fine  mole  or  pier  projects 


FRENCH   TEAVELLEES   AND   WEITEES.  77 

into  the  harbor  about  two  thousand  feet,  and  shops  and  warehouses 
line  its  whole  length.  It  communicates  at  right  angles  with  the  prin 
cipal  street  of  the  town,  which  is  long  and  wide,  curving  round  to 
ward  the  water  ;  on  this  street  are  many  fine  houses  of  two  and  three 
stories.  The  appearance  of  the  buildings  seems  strange  to  European 
eyes ;  being  built  entirely  of  wood,  they  have  not  the  dull  and  heavy 
appearance  which  belongs  to  those  of  our  continental  cities  ;  they  are 
regular  and  well  lighted,  with  frames  well  joined,  and  the  outside 
covered  with  slight,  thinly-planed  boards,  overlapping  each  other 
somewhat  like  the  tiles  upon  our  roofs.  The  exterior  is  generally 
painted  of  a  grayish  color,  which  gives  an  agreeable  aspect  to  the 
view. 

"  The  furniture  is  simple ;  sometimes  of  costly  wood,  after  the 
English  fashion ;  the  rich  covering  their  floors  with  woollen  carpets 
or  rush  matting,  and  others  with  fine  sand. 

"  The  town  contains  about  six  thousand  houses,  or  nearly  thirty 
thousand  inhabitants,  with  nineteen  churches  of  all  denominations. 
Some  of  the  churches  are  very  fine,  especially  those  of  the  Presbyte 
rian  and  Episcopal  societies.  They  are  generally  oblong,  ornamented 
with  a  gallery  and  furnished  with  pews  throughout,  so  that  the  poor 
as  well  as  the  rich  may  hear  the  gospel  with  much  comfort. 

"The  Sabbath  is  here  observed  wi'th  much  rigor.  All  kinds  of 
business,  however  important,  cease  ;  and  even  the  most  innocent 
pleasures  are  not  allowed.  The  town,  so  full  of  life  and  bustle  during 
the  week  days,  becomes  silent  like  the  desert  on  that  day.  If  one 
walks  the  streets,  he  scarcely  meets  a  person ;  and  if  perchance  he 
does,  he  will  hardly  dare  to  stop  and  speak. 

"  A  countryman  of  mine,  lodging  at  the  same  inn  with  me,  took 
it  into  his  head  one  Sunday  to  play  a  little  upon  his  flute  ;  but  the 
neighborhood  became  so  incensed  that  our  landlord  was  obliged  to 
acquaint  him  with  their  uneasiness. 

"  If  you  enter  a  house,  you  will  generally  find  each  member  of  the 
household  engaged  in  reading  the  Bible ;  and  it  is  a  very  interesting 
and  touching  sight  to  see  a  parent,  surrounded  by  his  family,  reading 
and  explaining  the  sublime  truths  of  the  sacred  volume. 

"  If  you  enter  a  temple  of  worship,  you  find  a  perfect  stillness 
reigns,  and  an  order  and  behavior  which  are  not  found  generally  in 
our  Catholic  churches. 

"  The  singing  of  the  Psalms  is  slow  and  solemn,  and  the  words  of 
the  hymns  being  in  their  native  tongue,  serves  to  increase  ihe  inter 
est  and  engage  the  attention  of  the  worshippers.  The  churches  are 
without  ornament  of  any  kind  ;  nothing  there  speaks  to  the  mind  or 
heart ;  nothing  to  recall  to  man  why  he  comes  there,  or  what  shall 


78  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

be  his  hope  of  the  future.     Sculpture  and  painting  trace  no  sacred 
events  there  to  remind  him  of  his  duties  or  awaken  his  gratitude." 

His  Nouveau  Voyage  dans  VAmerigue  /Septentrionale  en 
Vannee  1781,  consists  of  thirteen  letters,  which  were  published 
in  Paris  in  1782.  Of  Boston  trade  at  the  period  he  says  : 

"The  commerce  of  the  Bostonians  embraced  many  objects,  and 
was  very  extensive  before  the  war.  They  furnished  Great  Britain 
with  masts  and  yards  for  the  royal  navy.  They  constructed  by 
commission,  or  on  their  account,  a  great  number  of  merchant 
vessels,  renowned  for  their  superior  speed.  In  short,  their  construc 
tion  is  so  light  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  be  a  great  connoisseur  to 
distinguish  their  vessels  in  the  midst  of  those  of  other  nations.  Those 
which  they  freighted  at  their  own  expense  were  loaded,  for  the 
American  islands  or  for  Europe,  with  timber,  clapboards,  pitch,  tar, 
turpentine,  rosin,  cattle  and  swine,  and  some  peltry.  But  their 
principal  article  of  commerce  was  the  codfish  which  they  found  near 
their  coast,  and  particularly  in  the  Bay  of  Massachusetts.  This  fish 
ery  amounted  to  fifty  thousand  quintals,  which  they  exported  to  the 
other  New  England  provinces,  and  even  to  Spain,  Italy,  and  the  Med 
iterranean.  Those  of  the  poorest  quality  were  destined  for  the  ne 
groes  of  the  islands.  They  employ  a  large  number  of  men,  who  make 
excellent  mariners.  The  province  of  Massachusetts,  which  has  a  poor 
soil,  will  always  be  powerful,  owing  to  this  branch  of  commerce ;  and 
if  one  day  this  new  continent  spreads  its  formidable  forces  upon  the 
sea,  it  is  Boston  that  will  first  advance.  In  exchange  for  this  mer 
chandise,  they  bring  back  the  wines  of  Madeira,  Malaga,  and  Oporto, 
which  they  prefer  to  ours,  on  account  of  their  mildness,  and  perhaps 
also  from  the  effect  of  habit.  They  take  from  the  islands  a  good  quan 
tity  of  sugar,  which  they  use  for  their  tea,  which  the  Americans  drink 
at  least  twice  a  day ;  they  also  bring  from  there  a  greater  quantity 
of  molasses,  which  they  distil  into  rum,  their  ordinary  beverage. 
The  importation  was  so  considerable,  that  before  the  war  it  was 
only  worth  two  shillings  a  gallon. 

"Their  fishery,  their  commerce,  and  the  great  number  of  vessels 
which  they  build,  have  made  them  the  coasters  of  all  the  Northern 
colonies. 

"  It  is  estimated  that  in  1748  five  hundred  vessels  cleared  at  this 
port  for  a  foreign  trade,  and  four  hundred  and  thirty  entered  it ;  and 
about  one  thousand  vessels  were  employed  in  the  coasting  trade.  It 
appears,  however,  from  the  statement  of  an  Englishman,  that  their 
commerce  has  declined.  In  1738,  they  constructed  in  Boston  forty- 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS    AND   WRITERS.  79 

one  ships,  making  a  total  of  6,324  tons ;  in  1743,  thirty-eight  were 
built;  in  1746,  twenty;  in  1749,  fifteen,  making  in  total  2,450  tons. 
This  diminution  of  the  commerce  of  Boston  arises,  probably,  from  the 
new  settlements  formed  along  the  coast,  which  attract  to  themselves 
the  different  branches  that  their  situation  may  render  most  favorable. 
"  The  great  consumption  of  rum  by  the  Americans  induced  them 
to  establish  commercial  relations  with  the  French  colonies ;  our 
wines  and  brandy  rendering  this  liquor  little  used  by  us,  they  natter 
ed  themselves  with  bringing  the  molasses  to  a  better  use.  This  spec 
ulation  resulted  beyond  their  expectations ;  they  had  only  to  give  in 
exchange  wood  and  salt  provisions." 

The  following  observations  indicate  the  feeling  and  rela 
tions  between  our  countrymen  and  their  Gallic  allies : 

"  It  is  difficult  to  imagine  the  opinion  that  the  Americans  enter 
tained  of  the  French  before  the  war.  They  regarded  them  as  enslav 
ed  under  the  yoke  of  despotism,  delivered  up  to  prejudices  and  super 
stitions,  almost  idolaters  in  their  worship,  incapable  of  firmness  and 
stability,  and  occupied  only  with  curling  their  hair  and  painting  their 
faces ;  unfeeling,  faithless — not  even  respecting  the  most  sacred  du 
ties.  The  English  were  eager  to  spread  and  strengthen  these  preju 
dices.  Presbyterianism  [Congregationalism],  an  implacable  enemy 
of  Catholicism,  has  made  the  Bostonians,  where  this  sect  is  dominant, 
still  more  disposed  to  this  opinion. 

"  All  seemed,  at  the  commencement  of  the  war,  to  confirm  these 
views.  Most  of  the  Frenchmen  who  first  came  to  America  at  the 
rumor  of  revolution,  were  men  involved  in  debts  and  ruined  in  repu 
tation,  who  announced  themselves  with  titles  and  fictitious  names, 
obtained  great  distinction  in  the  American  army,  received  considera 
ble  advance  money,  and  suddenly  disappeared. 

"  The  simplicity  of  the  Americans  and  their  inexperience  ren 
dered  these  impositions  easy.  Many  of  these  adventurers  even  com 
mitted  crimes  worthy  of  the  scaffold.  The  first  merchandise  that  the 
Bostonians  received  from  France  contributed  again  to  support  them 
in  these  notions,  so  unfavorable  to  our  honesty  and  industry.  Even 
at  the  present  time,  French  goods  are  sold,  for  this  reason,  at  a  much 
lower  price  than  English  goods  of  the  same  quality. 

"  On  the  arrival  of  M.  le  Count  d'Estaing,  the  people  were  very 
much  astonished  not  to  see  frail  and  deformed  men.  They  believed 
that  these  had  been  expressly  chosen  to  give  them  a  more  advanta 
geous  idea  of  the  nation.  Some  with  over-florid  faces,  whose  toilet 
was  careless,  convinced  them  that  we  made  use  of  rouge. 


80  AMERICA    AND    HEK   COMMENTATORS. 

"  Notwithstanding  my  being  a  Frenchman  and  Catholic  priest,  I 
receive  daily  new  civilities  in  many  good  families  of  this  city.  But 
the  people  still  retain  their  first  prejudices.  I  have  lately  seen  a 
proof  of  this  in  an  event  which  has  at  the  same  time  served  to  make 
me  better  acquainted  with  their  character.  The  house  where  I 
lodged  took  fire;  it  belonged  to  a  Frenchman.  One  can  imagine 
what  emotion  this  sight  would  produce  in  a  city  built  of  wood.  The 
people  ran  thither  in  crowds,  but  when  they  arrived  there,  they  re 
mained  only  spectators  of  the  scene.  I  caused  the  doors  to  be  closed, 
in  order  to  arrest  the  currents  of  air,  and  sealed  the  chimney,  whence 
the  fire  was,  hermetically  with  a  wet  cloth,  causing  water  to  be 
poured  upon  it  without  intermission,  that  it  might  retain  its  damp 
ness.  The  women  of  the  house  were  enraged  at  the  sight  of  their 
flooded  and  dirty  floor.  If  I  had  not  made  myself  the  master,  they 
would  have  preferred  to  let  the  danger  increase. 

"  The  arrival  of  the  army  of  M.  le  Count  de  Eochambeau  at  Ehode 
Island  spread  terror  there.  The  country  was  deserted,  and  those 
whom  curiosity  led  to  Newport  found  the  streets  empty.  All  felt  the 
importance  of  dissipating  these  prejudices,  and  exercising  self-respect 
has  contributed  to  this.  The  superior  officers  established  the  strict 
est  discipline ;  the  other  officers  employed  that  politeness  and  ameni 
ty  which  has  always  characterized  the  French  nobility;  the  private 
soldier,  even,  has  become  gentle  and  circumspect,  and  in  a  year's  so 
journ  here,  not  one  complaint  has  been  made. 

"  The  French  at  Newport  are  no  longer  a  trifling,  presumptuous, 
noisy,  and  ostentatious  people  ;  they  are  quiet  and  retiring,  limiting 
their  society  to  that  of  their  guests  or  visitors,  that  they  may  become 
daily  more  dear  to  them.  These  young  noblemen,  whose  fortune, 
birth,  and  court  life  would  naturally  lead  them  to  dissipation,  luxury, 
and  extravagance,  have  given  the  first  example  of  simplicity  and 
frugality  ;  they  have  shown  themselves  as  aifable  and  familiar  as  if 
they  had  lived  entirely  among  similar  people.  This  elevated  con 
duct  has  brought  about  an  entire  revolution  in  the  minds  of  people. 
Even  the  Tories  cannot  help  loving  the  French,  while  blaming  the 
cause  which  they  uphold,  and  their  departure  afflicts  a  thousand 
times  more  than  their  arrival  alarms." 

An  interesting  evidence  of  the  vast  promise,  social  and 
economical,  with  which  the  extent,  resources,  and  political 
prospects  of  America  inspired  thoughtful  and  enthusiastic 
observers  at  this  period,  may  be  found  in  the  characteristic 
expressions  of  a  clergyman,  born  in  Philadelphia,  but  of 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS    AND   WRITERS.  81 

Huguenot  origin,  whose  rhetoric  and  writing  were  much 
admired  in  his  own  day,  and  whose  name  is  not  wholly  unfa 
miliar  in  our  own,  from  the  circumstance  that,  at  the  sugges 
tion  of  Samuel  Adams,  he  opened  the  old  Continental  Con 
gress  of  1774  with  prayer.  Three  years  previously,  while 
assistant  minister  of  Christ  Church,  Philadelphia,  were  pub 
lished  the  Letters  of  Tamoc  Caspipina,  in  which  Jacob  Duche 
thus  speaks  of  the  country,  just  before  the  Revolution  :  "  My 
attachment  to  America,  I  am  apt  to  think,  proceeds  from  the 
prospects  of  its  growing  greatness.  In  Europe,  architecture, 
gardening,  agriculture,  mechanics  are  at  a  stand ;  the  eye  is 
weary  with  perpetual  sameness  ;  after  roaming  over  the  mag 
nificence  of  churches  and  palaces,  we  are  glad  to  fix  our  gaze 
awhile  upon  a  simple  farmhouse  or  straw-built  cottage ;  we 
feel  a  particular  delight  in  tracing  the  windings  of  a  beautiful 
river.  The  objects  of  Art,  as  well  as  those  of  Nature,  in 
this  New  World,  are,  at  present,  in  such  a  state  as  affords  the 
highest  entertainment ;  here  and  there,  in  the  midst  of  ven 
erable  woods,  scarce  a  century  ago  the  haunts  of  roaming 
savages,  are  fields  of  corn  and  meadows.  Within  the  compass 
of  a  mile,  we  behold  Nature  in  her  original  rusticity  and  Art 
rising  by  rapid  advances.  I  see  learning  stripped  of  all  scho 
lastic  pedantry  and  religion  restored  to  gospel  purity."  The 
transition  state,  the  strong  contrasts,  the  process  of  develop 
ment,  and  the  opportunity  of  going  back  to  first  and  true 
principles  in  civil  and  social  life,  hinted  at  in  such  views,  con 
stituted  the  great  attraction  which  the  New  World  offered  to 
philosophical  and  benevolent  minds.  This  it  was  that  urged 
Berkeley's  prophetic  muse  and  gracious  enterprise,  and,  a  cen 
tury  before,  the  "  Church  Militant "  declared  George  Herbert's 
"  Prophecy,"  in  the  "  Country  Parson,"  realized  in  America. 

Duche's  reputation,  however,  has  a  less  amiable  and  honor 
able  side  ;  of  him  it  has  been  written  :  "  He,  whose  sublime 
prayer  as  chaplain  of  the  Continental  Congress,  melted  the 
hearts  of  his  audience  every  time  he  bent  to  repeat  it,  fell 
away  from  his  loyalty,  and  enjoys  the  sole  infamy  of  having 
sought  to  corrupt  Washington.  While  the  wretch  was  pray- 
4* 


82  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

ing  to  Almighty  God  for  the  success  of  the  Revolution,  his 
heart  was  black  with  treason." 

One  of  those  extraordinary  children  of  the  time  who,  with 
out  any  remarkable  endowments  or  adaptation  for  the  career 
of  politics,  were  whirled  into  that  sphere  of  thought  and  action 
by  the  tides  of  the  French  Revolution,  came  to  America  in 
1788,  and,  like  Ceracchi,  the  sculptor,  not  only  derived  new 
ideas  and  enthusiasm  from  his  visit,  but  became  a  martyr  to 
his  convictions  and  the  circumstances  of  his  native  land.  We 
find  the  record*  of  his  observations  in  the  New  World 
quoted  with  deference  by  his  contemporaries ;  it  was  trans 
lated  more  than  once  into  English,  f  and  seems  to  have  been 
more  permanently  attractive  than  any  other  of  the  several 
political  treatises  from  the  same  pen ;  one  of  Brissot's  biogra 
phers  calls  him  an  ecrivain  mediocre  et  un  dissateur  monotone 
et  verbeux  ;  yet,  with  all  his  speculative  hardihood  and  French 
sentiment,  many  of  his  remarks  on  our  country  at  the  time 
are  characteristic  and  noteworthy.  Born  in  1754,  at  the  vil 
lage  of  Ouarville,  near  Chartres,  he  subsequently  modified  his 
local  appellation  into  Warville,  for  the  prestige  of  an  English 
name  while  under  surveillance ;  placed  in  the  Bastile  for  the 
hardiesse  de  ses  ecrits  contre  Vinegalite  des  rangs,  he  was  liber 
ated  through  the  influence  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  whose 
sympathy  in  his  behalf  had  been  excited  by  Madame  de  Gen- 
lis  ;  and  the  association  thus  induced  led  to  his  marriage  with 
one  of  the  ladies  of  the  Duchess  and  to  his  embassy  to  Eng 
land  on  a  secret  mission  as  lieutenant  of  police.  Having 
vainly  sought  to  advance  his  fortunes  in  that  country,  he 
crossed  the  ocean  early  in  1788  ;  and,  in  the  following  year, 
left  our  shores  on  account  of  the  terrible  political  and  social 
crisis  which  convulsed  his  own  country.  He  soon  became 

*  Nouveau  Voyage  dans  les  Etats  Urns  de  1'Amerique  Septentrionale, 
fait  en  1788,  3  vols.,  Paris,  1791. 

f  Brissot  de  Warville's  New  Travels  in  the  United  States  of  America,  per 
formed  in  1788,  8vo.,  London,  1792. 

Brissot's  Travels  in  the  United  States  in  1788,  with  Observations  on  tho 
Genius  of  the  People  and  Government,  &c.,  8vo.,  1794. 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  83 

prominent  as  a  journalist  in  Paris,  was  bold  and  unscrupulous 
as  an  advocate  of  revolution,  and  soon  drew  upon  himself 
the  bitter  attacks  of  rivals  and  opponents,  one  of  whom, 
Morande,  issued  a  pamphlet  charging  Brissot  with  the  basest 
conduct  while  in  England,  and  proposing  to  make  JBrissoter 
the  synonyme  of  Voter.  Undaunted  by  scandal,  he  took  an 
active  part  in  forwarding  the  petition  of  the  Champs  du 
Mars,  whereby  he  alienated  Lafayette,  with  whom  he  osten 
sibly  and  ardently  sympathized  ;  chosen  a  deputy,  and,  on  ac 
count  of  his  foreign  travels,  placed  on  the  diplomatic  commit 
tee,  Brissot  advocated  war  with  Europe,  attached  himself  to 
Delessart,  then  at  the  head  of  foreign  affairs,  and,  with  the 
disgrace  of  the  latter,  became  the  object  of  invective  from 
Camille  Desmoulins  and  of  persecution  from  Robespierre. 
Brissot  reverted  to  his  original  theories,  denounced  those  who 
were  attached  to  the  king,  was  accused  of  federalism,  which 
he  had  defended  as  the  true  principle  of  the  American  Gov 
ernment,  and  of  conspiracy  against  the  French  republic.  He 
drafted  the  declaration  of  war  against  England  and  Holland ; 
and  never  ceased,  with  tongue  and  pen,  to  attack  the  colonial 
proprietors  and  plead  for  their  slaves  ;  so  that  he  was  consid 
ered  a  prime  instigator  of  the  St.  Domingo  insurrection : 
proscribed  on  the  last  of  May,  1795,  he  was  soon  after  arrest 
ed  at  Moulins,  and  perished,  by  the  guillotine,  during  the 
following  October.  There  was  something  anomalous  in  his 
character ;  of  feeble  constitution,  he  was  energetic  and  perti 
nacious  ;  an  adventurer,  he  failed  to  seize  opportunities  for 
advancing  his  own  interest ;  without  being  a  man  of  pleasure, 
he  neglected  his  wife  and  children,  leaving  them  without  the 
means  of  subsistence  ;  of  this  he  sincerely  repented  at  last,  and 
died  bravely.  He  accomplished  little  practical  good,  while 
convinced  he  could  regenerate  his  country.  His  Voyage  aux 
Mats  Unis  was  first  published  at  Paris  in  1791. 

Brissot  expatiates  on  the  religious  tolerance  he  found  pre 
vailing  in  Boston  in  1788.  "  Music,"  he  writes,  "  which  was 
proscribed  by  their  divines  as  a  diabolical  art,  begins  to  form 
a  part  of  their  education ;  you  hear,  in  some  rich  houses,  the 


84:  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

i 

pianoforte."  He  notes  the  absence  of  cafes  in  that  city,  and 
the  existence  of  clubs  "  not  held  at  taverns,  but  at  each 
other's  houses."  "  A  favorite  amusement,"  he  adds,  "  is  to 
visit  the  country  in  parties,  and  drink  tea,  spruce  beer,  and 
cider ; "  he  notes  the  "  distilleries  of  rum  at  Watertown,  des 
tined  for  the  coast  of  Guinea,"  and  declares  that  "  two  mala 
dies  afflict  the  State — emigration  west  and  manufactures." 
He  exults  in  the  sight  of  his  native  authors  in  the  library  of 
Harvard  College :  "  The  heart  of  a  Frenchman  palpitates,"  he 
writes,  "  to  find  Racine,  Montesquieu,  and  the  Encyclopedic, 
where,  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  smoked  the  calumet  of 
the  savage."  Hancock  was  then  Governor,  Jarvis  the  lead 
ing  physician,  and  Willard  president  of  Harvard  College,  each 
of  whom  Brissot  seems  to  have  appreciated ;  and  he  compli 
ments  as  leaders  in  Boston  society,  Wigglesworth,  Sullivan, 
Lloyd,  Dexter,  and  Wendall ;  he  explores  Bunker  Hill,  and 
visits  John  Adams,  whom  he  compares  to  Epaminondas.  He 
suggests  the  establishment  of  diligences  in  Massachusetts  ;  and 
describing  his  journey  from  Boston  to  New  York,  commends 
the  white  sheets  of  Spenser  and  the  cheap  breakfast  at  Brook- 
field.  He  is  vexed  at  the  tolls  ;  sees  Colonel  Wadsworth  at 
Hartford,  and  remembers  that  Silas  Dean  is  a  native  of 
Weathersfield,  where  the  immense  fields  of  onions  duly  im 
press  him.  New  Haven  interests  him  as  having  "  produced 
the  celebrated  poet  Trumbull,  author  of  the  immortal 
McFingal ; "  at  Fairfield,  "  the  pleasures  of  the  voyage  ended," 
and  thenceforth  there  was  "  a  constant  struggle  with  rocks 
and  precipices."  At  New  Rochelle  he  sees  Mr.  Jay,  and  at 
Rye  finds  an  excellent  inn.  He  witnessed  Fitch's  steamboat 
experiment  on  the  Delaware ;  and  was  interested  in  the 
"places  fortified  by  the  English,"  as  he  approached  New 
York.  The  market,  the  blacks,  and  the  Quakers  of  Philadel 
phia  are  subjects  of  curious  observation ;  the  calmness  and 
the  costume  of  the  latter  fascinated  him  to  such  a  degree  that, 
for  a  while,  he  abjured  the  use  of  hair  powder  and  other  luxu 
ries  of  the  toilet ;  and  describes  with  interest  a  Quaker  farm, 
meeting,  and  funeral.  Of  the  social  characteristics  of  the 


FKENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  85 

people,  especially  in  the  Eastern  States,  he  thus  speaks  :  "  La 
proprete  sans  luxe  est  une  des  caracteres  physiognomonique  de 
cette  purete  morale  ;  et  cette  proprete  se  retrouve  par-tout  a 
Boston,  dans  1'habillement,  dans  les  maisons,  dans  les  eglises  ; 
rien  de  plus  charmant  que  le  coup  d'oeil  d'un  eglise  ou  d'un 
meeting.  Je  ne  me  rappellerai  jamais  sans  emotion  le  plaisir 
que  je  rassentis,  en  entendant  un  fois  le  respectable  ministre 
Clarke  qui  a  succede  docteur  Cooper."  But,  like  most  of  his 
countrymen  who  then  visited  and  described  the  young  re 
public,  his  warmest  admiration  was  reserved  for  "  the  Father 
of  his  Country,"  whom  he  visited,  and  thus  describes  as  only 
a  Frenchman  would :  "  This  celebrated  general  is  nothing 
more  at  present  than  a  good  farmer.  His  eye  bespeaks  great 
goodness  of  heart ;'  manly  sense  marks  all  his  answers,  and  he 
is  sometimes  animated  in  conversation  ;  but  he  has  no  charac 
teristic  feelings  which  render  it  difficult  to  seize  him.  He 
announces  a  profound  discretion  and  a  great  diffidence  in  him 
self ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  an  unshaken  firmness,  when  once 
he  has  made  a  decision.  His  modesty  is  astonishing  to  a 
Frenchman.  He  speaks  of  the  American  war  and  of  his  vic 
tories  as  of  things  in  which  he  had  no  direction.  He  spoke  to 
me  of  Lafayette  with  the  greatest  tenderness."  Brissot 
passed  three  days  at  Mount  Vernon,  and,  according  to  his 
own  statement,  was  "loaded  with  kindness."  The  after 
career  and  melancholy  fate  of  Brissot  lends  a  peculiar  interest 
to  his  narrative  ;  inconsistently  combined  and  imperfectly 
manifested  in  his  life  and  nature,  we  find  the  philosopher  and 
the  republican  (wherein  he  declared  Priestley  and  Price  were 
his  models),  the  philanthropist,  the  man  of  letters,  the  editor, 
and  the  politician.  He  criticized  Chastellux — defended  Amer 
ica  ;  according  to  his  opponents,  "  fled  with  a  lie,"  and  yet, 
by  undisputed  testimony,  died  with  courage.  He  thought 
our  lawyers  superior  ;  and  calls  Isaiah  Thomas  the  Didot  of 
America  :  associating  with  Franklin,  Madison,  Hamilton,  and 
other  eminent  citizens,  he  learned  highly  to  estimate  the  in 
fluence  of  free  institutions  upon  human  character.  Among 
other  pleasant  sojourns  in  New  England  he  delighted  to  re- 


86  AMEKICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

member  the  "  Laurels,"  where  he  was  entertained  by  Dr.  Dai- 
ton,  wThile  on  his  way  from  Newburyport  up  the  Merrimac. 
In  his  apostrophe  to  this  beautiful  stream,  Whittier  gracefully 
alludes  to  Brissot's  enjoyment  thereof: 

"  Its  pines  above,  its  waves  below, 

The  west  wind  down  it  blowing, 
As  fair  as  when  the  young  Brissot 

Beheld  it  seaward  flowing, — 
And  bore  its  memory  o'er  the  deep 

To  soothe  a  martyr's  sadness, 
And  fresco,  in  his  troubled  sleep, 

His  prison  walls  with  gladness." 

Brissot,  seeking  to  unite  economical  with  social  philoso 
phy,  devotes  no  inconsiderable  portion  of  his  work  to  the 
commerce  and  commodities  of  the  New  World ;  like  other 
sojourners  of  that  era,  he  is  beguiled  into  speculative  remarks 
as  to  the  maple  tree  as  a  substitute  for  the  sugar  cane  ;  coin 
cident  with  his  visit  was  the  initial  movement  in  behalf  of  the 
negroes,  which  then  enlisted  the  best  sympathies  of  the  new 
republic  ;  anti-slavery  societies  had  just  then  been  established 
in  various  parts  of  the  country,  and  their  object  was  freely 
discussed  in  regions  where,  in  our  day,  law  and  social  tyranny 
barred  all  expression  thereon.  Brissot  rejoiced  in  Washing 
ton's  views  and  purposes  in  this  regard :  "  It  is  a  task,"  he 
writes,  "  worthy  of  a  soul  so  elevated,  so  pure,  and  so  disin 
terested,  to  begin  the  revolution  in  Virginia,  to  prepare  the 
way  for  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves."  He  was  not  always 
a  true  prophet,  as  for  instance,  when  he  remarks  :  "  Albany 
will  sooij  yield  in  prosperity  to  a  town  called  Hudson."  The 
spectator  of  two,  and  the  actor  and  victim  in  one  revolution, 
there  is  a  certain  pensive  charm  in  his  earnest  appreciation  of 
the  political  and  social  advantages  of  America  :  "  The  United 
States,"  he  declares,  "  have  demonstrated  that  the  less  active 
and  powerful  the  Government,  the  more  active  and  powerful 
the  people  " — a  moral  fact  eminently  illustrated  by  the  recent 
history  of  the  nation.  He  appreciated  the  essential  influence 
of  personal  character  to  attain  civic  prosperity  :  "  There  can 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  87 

be  no  durable  revolution,"  he  observes,  "  but  where  reflection 
marks  the  operation  and  matures  the  ideas  :  it  is  among  such 
men  of  principles  that  you  find  the  true  heroes  of  humanity — 
the  Howards,  Fothergills,  Penns,  Franklins,  Washingtons, 
Sidneys,  and  Ludlows."  He  invokes  his  erratic  countrymen 
who  wish  for  "  valuable  instruction  "  to  ponder  his  record : 
"  Study  the  Americans  of  the  present  day,  and  see  to  what 
degree  of  prosperity  the  blessings  of  freedom  can  elevate  the 
industry  of  man ;  how  they  dignify  his  nature  and  dispose 
him  to  universal  fraternity ;  by  what  means  liberty  is  pre 
served  ;  and  that  the  great  secret  of  its  duration  is  good 
morals." 

Thus  enthusiastic  as  a  republican,  and  recognizing  so 
warmly  the  simplicity  of  rural  and  the  intrepidity  of  working 
life  in  America,  Brissot  looked  with  suspicion  upon  the 
encroachments  of  fashion  and  wealth  upon  manners  and 
tastes.  It  is  amusing  to  read  his  account  of  New  York  and 
find  so  many  coincidences  at  the  present  day  in  her  social 
tendencies,  and  to  compare  the  limited  indulgences  then  prac 
ticable  with  the  boundless  extravagance  now  so  apparent. 
Thus  he  wrote  of  the  commercial  metropolis  of  the  New 
World  in  1788  : 

"  The  presence  of  Congress,  with  the  diplomatic  body  and  the 
concourse  of  strangers,  contributes  much  to  extend  here  the  ravages 
of  luxury.  The  inhabitants  are  far  from  complaining  of  it ;  they 
prefer  the  splendor  of  wealth  and  the  show  of  enjoyment  to  the  sim 
plicity  of  manners  and  the  pure  pleasures  which,  result  from  it.  If 
there  is  a  town  on  the  American  continent  where  the  English  luxury 
displays  its  follies,  it  is  New  York.  You  will  find  here  the  English 
fashions:  in  the  dress  of  the  women  you  will  see  the  most  brilliant 
silks,  gauzes,  hats,  and  borrowed  hair ;  equipages  are  rare,  but  they 
are  elegant:  the  men  have  more  simplicity  in  their  dress  ;  they  dis 
dain  gewgaws,  but  they  take  their  revenge  in  the  luxury  of  the  table  ; 
luxury  forms  already  a  class  of  men  very  dangerous  to  society  ;  I  mean 
bachelors ;  the  expense  of  women  causes  matrimony  to  be  dreaded 
by  men.  Tea  forms,  as  in  England,  the  basis  of  parties  of  pleasure  : 
many  things  are  dearer  here  than  in  France ;  a  hairdresser  asks 
twenty  shillings  a  month ;  washing  costs  four  shillings  the  dozen." 

Lafayette,  in  his  letter  introducing  Brissot  to  Washington, 


88  AMERICA   AND    HER   COMMENTATORS. 

writes :  "  He  is  very  clever,  and  wishes  to  write  the  history 
of  America."  It  is  a  singular  coincidence  that  while  he 
praises  the  inns  of  the  country,  which  were  so  generally 
complained  of  by  English  travellers,  he  expresses  a  national 
repugnance  to  a  habit  now  so  prevalent  among  his  country 
men  as,  in  the  view  of  some  of  the  late  critics,  to  have  essen 
tially  modified  their  disposition  of  mind,  if  not  of  bodily  tem 
perament.  "  The  habit  of  smoking,"  observes  Brissot,  in  his 
account  of  New  York,  "  has  not  disappeared  with  the  other 
customs  of  their  fathers — the  Dutch.  They  use  cigars. 
These  are  leaves  of  tobacco  rolled  in  the  form  of  a  tube  six 
inches  long,  and  are  smoked  without  the  aid  of  any  instru 
ment.  This  usage  is  revolting  to  the  French,  but  it  has  one 
advantage — it  favors  meditation  and  prevents  loquacity."  It 
is  characteristic  of  this  writer's  political  prepossessions  that, 
while  he  found  "  decency,  neatness,  and  dignity "  in  the 
taverns,  when  dining  with  General  Hamilton  he  recognized 
in  his  host  the  "  countenance  of  a  determined  republican." 

Much  ridicule  has  been  expended  upon  that  artificial  rural 
enthusiasm  which  once  formed  a  curious  phase  of  French 
literature,  wherein  the  futile  attempt  was  made  to  graft  the 
ancient  Arcadian  on  the  modern  rustic  enjoyment  of  nature. 
This  incongruous  experiment  originated  in  Italy,  and  found 
its  best  development  in  the  pastoral  verse  of  Guarini  and  San- 
nazzaro  ;  but  when  the  Parisian  pleasure-seekers  affected  the 
crook  and  simplicity  of  shepherd  life — when  box  was  trimmed 
into  the  shape  of-  animals  and  fountains,  grottos  and  bowers, 
in  the  midst  of  fashionable  gardens,  and  the  scent  of  musk 
blended  with  that  of  pines  and  roses — the  want  of  genuine 
love  of  and  sympathy  with  nature  became  ludicrously  appa 
rent  ;  the  manners  and  talk  of  the  salon  were  absurd  in  the 
grove,  and  the  costume  and  coquetry  of  the  ballroom  were 
reproached  by  the  freedom  and  calm  beauty  of  woods  and 
waters.  The  hearty  love  of  country  life  which  is  an  instinct 
of  the  -English,  and  has  found  such  true  and  memorable  ex 
pression  in  the  poetry  of  Great  Britain,  finds  an  indifferent 
parallel  in  the  rhymes  of  Gallic  bards  or  the  rural  life  of  the 


FRENCH   TEAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  89 

gentry  of  France.  But  there  is  a  vein  of  rural  taste  and  feel 
ing,  of  a  more  practical  kind,  native  to  the  French  heart — a 
combination  of  philosophic  content  and  romance — a  love  of 
the  free,  independent  life  of  the  wilderness,  a  capacity  of  adap 
tation  to  new  conditions,  and  a  facility  in  deriving  satisfac 
tion  from  inartificial  pleasures,  which,  when  united  to  the 
poetical  instinct,  makes  nature  and  agricultural  life  a  singu 
larly  genial  sphere  to  a  Frenchman.  The  sentiment  of  this 
experience  has  been  eloquently  uttered  by  St.  Pierre,  Chateau 
briand,  and  Lamartine ;  its  practical  realization  was  long  evi 
dent  in  the  "urbane,  cheerful,  and  tasteful  colonists  of  Canada 
and  of  the  West  and  South  of  the  United  States ;  and  the 
writings  of  French  travellers  there  and  in  the  East,  abound 
in  its  graceful  commemoration.  The  literature  of  American 
travel  is  not  without  memorable  illustrations  thereof;  and 
one  of  the  best  is  a  book,  which,  although  the  production  of 
a  Frenchman,  was  originally  written  in  English  under  the  title 
of  "  Letters  of  an  American  Farmer."  *  It  is  a  most  pleasing 
report  of  the  possible  resources  and  charms  of  that  vocation, 
when  it  was  far  more  isolated  and  exclusively  rural  than  at 
present,  when  town  habits  had  not  encroached  upon  its  sim 
plicity  or  fashion  marred  its  independence.  Somewhat  like  a 
prose  idyl  is  this  record ;  Hazlitt  delighted  in  its  naive  enthu 
siasm,  and  commended  it  to  Charles  Lamb  as  well  as  in  the 
Quarterly,  as  giving  "  an  idea  how  American  scenery  and  man 
ners  may  be  treated  with  a  lively  poetic  interest."  "The 
pictures,"  he  adds,  "  are  somewhat  highly  colored,  but  they 
are  vivid  and  strikingly  characteristic.  He  gives  not  only  the 
objects  but  the  feelings  of  a  new  country."  The  author  of 
this  work,  Hector  St.  John  Creveco3ur,  was  of  noble  birth,  a 
native  of  Normandy,  born  in  1731  ;  he  was  sent  to  England 
when  but  sixteen  years  old,  which  is  the  cause  of  his  early 
and  complete  mastery  of  our  language.  In  1754  he  came  to 
New  York,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  the  adjacent  region. 

*  "  Letters  from  an  American  Farmer,  conveying  some  Idea  of  the  Late 
and  Present  Interior  Circumstances  of  the  British  Colonies  in  North  America," 
by  J.  H.  St.  John  Crevecoaur,  8vo.,  London,  1782. 


90  AMEEICA  AND   HEK  COMMENTATORS. 

The  British  troops  repeatedly  crossed  over  and  lingered  upon 
his  estate  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  much  to  his 
annoyance  and  its  detriment.  His  affairs  obliged  him  to 
return  to  France  in  1780,  and  he  was  allowed  to  pass  through 
the  enemy's  lines  in  order  to  embark  with  one  of  his  family ; 
but  the  vessel  was  intercepted  by  the  French  fleet  then  off 
the  coast,  and  Creveco3ur  was  detained  several  months  under 
suspicion  of  being  a  spy.  After  his  release  he  reembarked  for 
Europe,  and  reached  his  paternal  home  safely,  after  an  absence 
of  twenty-seven  years.  In  1783  he  returned  to  New  York  to 
find  his  dwelling  burned  to  the  ground,  his  wife  d'ead,  and  his 
children  in  the  care  of  friends. 

He  brought  with  him,  on  his  return  to  America,  a  commis 
sion  as  French  consul  at  New  York — a  situation  which  he 
honorably  filled  for  ten  years,  when,  once  more  returning  to 
his  native  land,  he  resided  at  his  country  seat  near  Rouen,  and 
subsequently  at  Sarcelles,  where  he  died  in  1813.  All  ac 
counts  agree  in  describing  him  as  a  man  of  the  highest  prob 
ity,  the  most  benevolent  disposition,  rare  intelligence,  and 
engaging  manners.  Washington  esteemed  him ;  he  made  a 
journey  in  Pennsylvania  with  Franklin,  on  the  occasion  of 
the  latter's  visit  to  Lancaster  to  lay  the  corner  stone  of  the 
German  college.  The  account  of  the  incidents  and  conversa 
tion  during  this  trip  recorded  by  Crevecoaur,  are  among  the 
most  characteristic  reminiscences  of  the  American  philosopher 
extant.  His  "  Letters  of  an  American  Farmer  "  were  pub 
lished  in  London  in  1782.  He  translated  them  into  his  native 
tongue.*  They  have  a  winsome  flavor,  and  picture  so  delec- 
tably  the  independence,  the  resources,  and  the  peace  of  an 
agricultural  life,  just  before  and  after  the  Revolution,  in  the 
more  settled  States  of  America,  that  the  reader  of  the  present 
day  cannot  feel  surprised  that  he  beguiled  many  an  emigrant 
from  the  Old  World  to  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  and  the  Dela 
ware.  But  this  charm  originated  in  the  temper  and  mind  of 
the  writer,  who  was  admirably  constituted  to  appreciate  and 

*  "  Lettres  d'un  Cultivateur  Americain,  traduites  de  1'Anglois,"  2  vols., 
8vo.,  Paris,  1784. 


FRENCH   TEAVELLEES   AND   WEITEES.  91 

improve  the  advantages  of  such  an  experience.  He  found  on 
his  beautiful  farm  and  among  his  kindly  neighbors,  the  same 
attractions  which  Mrs.  Grant  remembered  so  fondly  of  her 
girlhood's  home  at  Albany.  Among  the  best  of  his  letters 
are  those  extolling  the  pleasures  and  feelings  of  a  farmer's 
life  in  a  new  country,  and  those  descriptive  of  Nantucket, 
Martha's  Vineyard,  and  Charleston,  the  notice  of  Bartram  the 
naturalist,  and  the  account  of  the  Humming  Bird.  Nor  was 
this  the  author's  only  contribution  to  the  literature  of  Ameri 
can  travel.  In  1801,  the  fruit  of  his  leisure  after  his  final 
return  to  Normandy,  appeared  in  the  shape  of  a  work  in  the 
publication  of  which  he  indulged  hi  a  curious  literary  ruse. 
It  was  entitled  "  Voyage  dans  la  haute  Pennsylvania  et  dans 
1'Etat  cle  New  York,  par  un  Membre  Adoptif  de  la  nation 
Oneida,  traduit  par  1'Auteur  des  Lettres  d'un  Cultivateur 
Americain."  It  needed  not  this  association  of  his  first  popu 
lar  venture  with  this  new  book  of  travels  in  the  same  coun 
try,  to  pierce  the  thin  disguise  whereby  he  announced  the 
latter  as  printed  from  MSS.  found  in  a  wreck  on  the  Elbe ; 
for  the  author  enjoyed  the  eclat  of  success  in  the  Paris  salons, 
while  elsewhere  his  kindliness  and  wisdom  made  him  a  great 
favorite.  These  two  works  have  the  merit  and  the  interest 
of  being  more  deliberate  literary  productions  than  any  that 
preceded  them.  There  is  a  freshness  and  an  ardor  in  the 
tone,  which  is  often  magnetic  ;  and  in  the  material,  a  curious 
mixture  of  statistics  and  romance,  matter  of  fact  and  senti 
ment,  reminding  the  reader  at  one  moment  of  Marmontel,  and 
at  another  of  Adam  Smith  ;  for  it  deals  about  equally  in  sto 
ries  and  economical  details  :  many  of  the  most  remarkable 
Indian  massacres  and  border  adventures,  since  wrought  into 
history,  dramas,  and  novels,  are  narrated  in  these  volumes 
fresh  from  current  traditions  or  recent  knowledge.  The 
author  was  on  intimate  terms  with  the  savages,  and  had  been 
made  an  honorary  member  of  the  Oneida  tribe.  He  gives  a 
clear  and  probably,  at  the  time,  a  novel  account  of  the  differ 
ent  States,  their  productions,  condition,  &c. 

Keenly  appreciating  the  relation  of  landed  property  to  citi- 


92  AMERICA  AND  HER  COMMENTATORS. 

zenship,  exulting  in  the  independence  of  an  agricultural  life  in 
a  free  country,  and  alive  to  all  the  duties  and  delights  of 
domestic  seclusion,  his  letters  breathe  a  wise  and  grateful 
sense  of  the  privileges  he  enjoys  as  an  American  farmer : 

"The  instant  I  enter  on  my  own  land," 'he  writes,  "the  bright 
idea  of  property,  of  exclusive  right,  of  independence,  exalts  my  mind. 
Precious  soil,  I  say  to  myself,  by  what  singular  custom  of  law  is  it 
that  thou  wast  made  to  constitute  the  riches  of  the  freeholder?  What 
should  we  American  farmers  be  without  the  distinct  possession  of 
that  soil  ?  It  feeds,  it  clothes  us  ;  from  it  we  draw  our  great  exuber 
ancy,  our  best  meat,  our  richest  drink — the  very  honey  of  our  bees 
comes  from  this  privileged  spot.  No  wonder  we  should  thus  cherish  its 
possession — no  wonder  that  so  many  Europeans,  who  have  never  been 
able  to  say  that  such  a  portion  of  land  was  theirs,  cross  the  Atlantic 
to  realize  that  happiness.  This  formerly  rude  soil  has  been  converted 
by  my  father  into  a  pleasant  farm,  and  in  return  it  has  established  all 
our  rights ;  on  it  is  founded  our  rank,  our  freedom,  our  power  as 
citizens,  our  importance  as  inhabitants  of  such  a  district.  These 
images,  I  must  confess,  I  always  behold  with  pleasure,  and  extend 
them  as  far  as  my  imagination  can  reach ;  for  this  is  what  may  be 
called  the  true  and  only  philosophy  of  the  American  farmer.  Often 
when  I  plough  my  low  ground,  I  place  my  little  boy  on  a  chair 
which  screws  to  the  beam  of  the  plough  ;  its  motion  and  that  of  the 
horses  please  him ;  he  is  perfectly  happy,  and  begins  to  chat.  As  I 
lean  over  the  handle,  various  are  the  thoughts  which  crowd  into  rny 
mind.  I  am  now  doing  for  him,  I  say,  what  my  father  formerly  did 
for  me  :  may  God  enable  him  to  live,  that  he  may  perform  the  same 
operations  for  the  same  purposes,  when  I  am  worn  out  and  old.  I 
release  his  mother  of  some  trouble  while  I  have  him  with  me ;  the 
odoriferous  furrow  exhilarates  his  spirits  and  seems  to  do  the  child  a 
great  deal  of  good,  for  he  looks  more  blooming  since  I  have  adopted 
the  practice  :  can  more  pleasure,  more  dignity  be  added  to  that  pri 
mary  occupation  ?  The  father,  thus  ploughing  with  his  child  and  to 
feed  his  family,  is  inferior  only  to  the  emperor  of  China,  ploughing 
as  an  example  to  his  kingdom." 

Very  loving  and  observant  are  his  comments  on  the  aspect, 
habits,  and  notes  of  birds  ;  they  remind  us  of  the  spirit  with 
out  the  science  of  our  endeared  ornithologists,  Audubon  and 
Wilson.  "  I  generally  rise  from  bed,"  writes  Crevecoaur, 
"  about  that  indistinct  interval,  which,  properly  speaking,  is 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS    AND    WRITERS.  93 

neither  night  nor  day ;  for  this  is  the  moment  of  the  most 
universal  vocal  choir.  Who  can  listen  unmoved  to  the  sweet 
love  tales  of  our  robins,  told  from  tree  to  tree ;  or  to  the  shrill 
catbird  ?  The  sublime  accents  of  the  thrush  from  on  high, 
always  retard  my  steps  that  I  may  listen  to  the  delicious 
music."  A  long  discussion  with  Dr.  Franklin  during  their 
memorable  journey  in  1787,  as  to  the  origin  of  the  aboriginal 
tribes  and  the  mounds  of  the  West,  which  of  late  years  have 
so  interested  ethnologists,  is  reported  at  length  by  this  assidu 
ous  writer ;  we  thence  learn  that  this  new  and  extended 
interest  was  foreseen  by  the  venerable  philosopher,  who  re 
marked  to  his  companion :  "  When  .the  population  of  the 
United  States  shall  have  spread  over  every  part  of  that  vast 
and  beautiful  region,  our  posterity,  aided  by  new  discoveries, 
may  then,  perhaps,  form  more  satisfactory  conjectures." 

The  religion  and  politics  of  the  country  are  defined  in 
these  epistles.  The  Quakers,  the  weather,  the  aspect  of  the 
land,  excursions,  speculations,  anecdotes,  and  poetical  epi 
sodes  are  the  versatile  subjects  of  his  chronicle :  several  old- 
fashioned  engraved  illustrations  give  a  quaint  charm  to  the 
earlier  editions  ;  domestic  fetes,  mafitte  Fanny,  and  the  trans 
planting  of  a  sassafras  tree,  alternate  in  the  record  with  re 
flections  on  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  the  "  Histoire  de  Rachel 
Bird,"  and"La  Pere  Infortune  !"  There  is  a  naive  ardor  and 
the  genial  egotism  of  a  Gallic  raconteur  and  philosopher,  in 
the  work — which  survives  the  want  of  novelty  in  its  econom 
ical  details  and  lc»cal  descriptions. 

During  Crevecceur's  visit  to  Normandy,  five  American 
sailors  were  shipwrecked  on  that  coast,  and  he  befriended 
them  in  their  great  need  and  peril,  with  a  humane  zeal  that  did 
credit  to  his  benevolent  heart.  A  gentleman  of  Boston  in 
New  England  was  so  impressed  with  this  kindness  to  his 
unfortunate  countrymen,  that,  hearing  of  the  destruction  of 
the  generous  Frenchman's  homestead  far  away,  he  made 
a  long  and  hazardous  journey  in  search  of  the  deserted  chil 
dren,  discovered,  and  cherished  them  till  the  father's  arrival 
enabled  him  to  restore  them  in  health  and  safety.  The  ardent 


94  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

style  of  Crevecoeur's  writings,  and  that  tendency  to  exaggera 
tion  incident  to  his  temperament,  caused  his  books  to  be  criti 
cized  with  some  severity  as  incorrect,  highy  colored,  and 
prolix ;  yet  the  vital  charm  and  ingenuous  sentiment  of  the 
enthusiast,  combined  with  his  tact  as  a  raconteur,  and  his  love 
of  nature  and  freedom,  made  these  now  neglected  works  pop 
ular  at  the  time  and  long  subsequent  to  their  original  publi 
cation. 

One  of  the  most  striking  instances  of  the  historical  value 
of  authentic  and  detailed  records  of  travel,  is  the  use  which 
philosophical  annalists,  like  De  Tocqueville,  have  made  of 
Arthur  Young's  observations  in  France.  This  intelligent  and 
enthusiastic  agricultural  writer  chronicled,  as  a  tourist,  the 
practical  workings  of  the  old  regime  in  regard  to  the  peasant 
ry  and  rural  districts,  so  as  to  demonstrate  the  vital  necessity 
of  a  revolution  on  economical  and  social  principles  alone.  A 
disciple  of  this  writer,  whose  integrity  and  patriotism  as  well 
as  painstaking  research  make  up  in  no  small  degree  for  his 
limited  scientific  knowledge  and  want  of  originality,  prepared 
a  large  and  well-considered  work  from  a  careful  survey  of  the 
American  States  and  their  statistics  in  1795.  The  Duke  de 
La  Rochefoucault-Liancourt  commanded  at  Rouen,  when  the 
Constituent  Assembly,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  dissolved ; 
subsequently  he  passed  many  months  in  England,  and  then 
visited  this  country.  His  "  Voyage  dans  les  Etats  Unis,"  and 
his  efficiency  in  establishing  the  use  of  vaccination  in  France, 
cause  him  to  be  remembered  as  a  man  of  letters  and  benevo 
lence  ;  he  reached  a  venerable  age,  and  won  the  highest  re 
spect,  although  long  subject  to  the  unjust  aspersions  of  parti 
san  opponents  whom  his  liberal  nature  failed  to  conciliate. 
There  is  little  of  novel  information  to  an  American  reader  in 
his  voluminous  work,  except  the  record  of  local  features  and 
social  facts,  which  are  now  altogether  things  of  the  past ;  yet 
the  fairness  and  minute  knowledge  displayed,  account  for  the 
value  and  interest  attached  to  this  work  for  many  years  after 
its  appearance.  It  is  evident  that  the  Duke  de  La  Rochefou- 
cault  travelled  as  much  to  beguile  himself  of  the  ennui  of 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  95 

exile  arid  the  disappointments  of  a  baffled  patriot,  as  on 
account  of  his  inquiring  turn  of  mind.  He  occupied  himself 
chiefly  with  economical  investigations,  especially  those  con 
nected  with  agriculture ;  the  process  whereby  vast  swamps 
and  forests  were  gradually  reduced  to  tilled  and  habitable 
domains,  interested  him  in  all  its  stages  and  results.  He 
describes  each  town,  port,  and  region  with  care  and  candor ; 
and  it  is  a  peculiarity  of  his  Travels  that  they  contain  many 
elaborate  accounts  of  certain  farms  and  estates  in  diiferent 
sections,'  whence  we  derive  a  very  accurate  notion  of  the 
methods  and  the  resources  of  rural  life  in  America  soon  after 
the  Revolution.  The  Duke  was  a  philosophical  traveller,  con 
tent  to  journey  on  horseback,  making  himself  as  much  at  home 
with  the  laborer  at  the  wayside  as  with  the  gentleman  of  the 
manor  ;  and  seeking  information  with  frankness  and  patience 
wherever  and  however  it  could  be  properly  acquired.  The 
lakes,  bays,  roads,  the  markets,  manufactures,  and  seats  he 
examines,  in  a  business-like  way ;  complains  of  all  crude 
arrangements,  and  bears  the  hardships  then  inseparable  from 
travel  here,  like  a  soldier:  Indians  and  rattlesnakes,  corn  and 
tobacco,  the  Hessian  fly,  pines,  maples,  negroes,  rice  planta 
tions,  orchards,  all  the  traits  of  rural  economy  and  indigenous 
life,  are  duly  registered  and  speculated  upon. 

He  -visited,  with  evident  satisfaction,  the  battle  grounds 
of  the  Revolution,  and  complacently  dwells  on  Yorktown, 
the  grave  of  Ternay  at  Newport,  and  the  grateful  estimation 
in  which  Lafayette  was  held.  He  seems  to  have  well  appre 
ciated  our  leading  men  in  public  life  and  society  ;  Jefferson, 
Marshall,  Jay,  Hamilton,  Adams,  and  Burr  figure  in  his  polit 
ical  tableaux,  and  he  was  the  guest  of  General  Knox,  in  Maine. 
He  sums  up  the  character  of  the  Virginians  as  a  people  noted 
for  dissipation,  hospitality,  and  attachment  to  the  Union  ;  of 
the  special  characteristics  of  the  different  States  he  was  singu 
larly  cognizant ;  and  notes  the  slow  adoption  of  vaccination, 
the  adaptation  of  soils,  and  the  existence  of  wild  hemp  on  the 
shores  of  Ontario. 

Apart   from  the   specific  information    contained  in   his 


96  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

"  Voyage  dans  les  Etats  Unis  d'Amerique,"  the  Paris  edition 
of  which,  printed  in  1800,  consists  of  eight  volumes,  8vo., 
there  is  little  to  attract  the  reader  of  warm  sympathies  or 
decided  tastes.  An  English  translation  was  published  in 
quarto.*  Although  the  work  is  the  chief  source  of  the  Duke 
de  La  Rochefoucault's  literary  reputation,  it  is  justly  char 
acterized,  by  an  intelligent  French  critic,  as  a  froide  compila 
tion,  sans  imagination  et  sans  V  esprit  $  artiste.  Both  this 
writer,  Chastellux,  and  other  of  their  countrymen,  gave  satis 
factory  facts  in  regard  to  American  military  and  political 
leaders,  who  can  be  most  fairly  estimated  by  competent  for 
eign  critics :  the  former  describes  Stirling,  and  the  latter 
Simcoe,  Knox,  and  others. 

The  Duke  sums  up,  in  the  last  chapter  of  his  %  voluminous 
work,  his  impressions  and  convictions :  like  Brissot,  he 
praises  the  Quakers  for  their  civic  virtues  ;  he  notes  what  he 
calls  the  "  prejudice  "  among  the  men  against  "  domestic  ser 
vitude,"  a  feeling  in  which  the  women  then  did  not  share ; 
of  the  freedom  of  action  accorded  the  latter,  he  speaks  with 
a  Frenchman's  national  surprise,  and  adds  that,  when  married, 
"  they  love  their  husband  because  he  is  their  husband  ; "  he 
expatiates  on  the  need  of  a  more  thorough  educational  sys 
tem  ;  physically,  however,  he  thinks  the  Americans  had  the 
advantage  of  Europeans  in  their  habits  of  sporting  and  use 
of  the  rifle,  and  deems  the  liberty  enjoyed  by  children  the 
best  method  of  teaching  them  self-reliance  ;  he  describes  the 
prevalent  manners  as  essentially  the  same  as  those  which  exist 
in  the  provincial  towns  of  England  ;  he  praises  the  hospitality 
and  benevolence  of  the  people  ;  and  says  that  drunkenness  is 
"  their  most  common  vice,"  and  "  the  desire  of  riches  their 
ruling  passion  ; "  "  the  traits  of  character  common  to  all,"  he 
adds,  "  are  ardor  for  enterprise,  courage,  greediness,  and  an 
advantageous  opinion  of  themselves."  Such  are  some  of  the 
opinions  formed  by  this  noble  but  somewhat  prosaic  traveller 

*  "  Liancourt's  (Duke  de  La  Rochefoucault)  Travels  through  the  United 
States,  the  Country  of  the  Iroquois,  &c.,inthe  years  1795,  '96  and '97,"  2  vols. 
4to.,  large  folding  maps,  London,  1799. 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  97 

immediately  after  the  Revolutionary  war,  when,  as  he  ob 
serves,  the  Americans  "  having  for  the  most  part  made  their 
fortunes  by  their  own  industry,  labor  had  not  become  repug 
nant  to  them."  He  ends  his  work  with  the  most  benign 
wishes  for  the  prosperity  and  integrity  of  the  nation. 

That  gifted  and  solitary  pioneer  of  American  fiction, 
Charles  Brockden  Brown,  among  his-  numerous  and  ill- 
rewarded  but  most  creditable  literary  labors,  made  a  transla 
tion  of  Volney's  once  noted  book  on  America.*  The  career 
and  the  character  of  this  writer  must  be  understood  in  order  to 
estimate  aright  his  writings,  and  especially  those  that  belong  to 
the  sphere  of  political  and  social  speculation.  Born  in  one  of 
the  provinces  of  France,  just  before  the  commencement  of  that 
memorable  chaos  of  thought  and  action  which  ushered  in  the 
Revolution,  of  a  studious  and  independent  habit,  he  early 
manifested  that  boldness  of  aim  and  originality  of  convic 
tion  which  marked  the  adventurous  and  the  philosophic  men 
of  his  day.  Changing  his  name,  and  accustoming  himself  to 
hardships,  he  aspired  to  an  individuality  of  life  and  a  free 
dom  from  conventionalities,  somewhat  akin  to  the  motive 
that  made  Byron  a  wanderer  and  Lady  Stanhope  a  contented 
sojourner  in  the  desert.  The  passion  for  travel  early  pos 
sessed  him,  and  he  equipped  himself  therefor  by  adopting  a 
stoical  regime,  and  acquiring  the  historical  and  philological 
knowledge  so  essential  to  satisfactory  observation  in  foreign 
countries.  An  invalid  from  birth,  his  sequestered  habits  and 
sensitive  temper  gave  a  misanthropic  tinge  to  his  disposition, 
while  his  limited  means  induced  a  remarkable  frugality ;  the 
result  of  which  circumstances  and  traits  was  to  make  Yolney 
a  morbid  man,  but  a  speculative  thinker  and  a  social  non 
conformist.  Like  Bentham  and  Godwin,  but  with  less  geni 
ality,  he  professed  to  disdain  the  tyranny  of  custom,  and  to 
seek  the  good  of  humanity  and  the  truth  of  life,  in  the  neg 
lected  and  superseded  elements  of  society,  so  hopelessly 

*  "View  of  the  Soil  and  Climate  of  the  United  States  of  America,"  trans 
lated  by  Charles  Brockden  Brown,  with  maps  and  plates,  8vo.,  Philadelphia, 
1804. 


98  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

overlaid  by  blind  habit  and  unreasoning  acquiescence.  Like 
all  Frenchmen,  in  carrying  out  this  programme  as  a  written 
theory,  he  is  rhetorical,  and,  in  practice,  more  or  less  gro 
tesque  ;  yet  with  enough  of  ability  and  original  method  to 
excite  the  curious,  and  suggest  new  ideas  to  less  adventurous 
minds,  however  more  sound  judgment  and  holier  faith  might 
repudiate  his  principles.  Professedly  a  social  reformer,  and 
at  war  with  the  life  and  law  around  him,  he,  like  so  many 
other  civilized  malcontents,  turned  ardently  to  the  East. 

A  Breton  and  a  peer  of  France,  there  is  much  in  Volney 
to  remind  us  of  Chateaubriand — the  same  passion  for  knowl 
edge,  love  of  travel,  political  enthusiasm,  romantic  egotism, 
vague  and  vaunted  sentiment ;  but  there  the  parallel  ends : 
for  Chateaubriand's  conservatism,  social  relations,  and  opin 
ions,  literary,  political,  and  religious,  separate  him  widely 
from  Volney,  although  their  experience  of  vicissitude  was 
similar.  The  genius  of  the  author  of  Atala  was  pervasive, 
and  is  still  influential  and  endeared ;  while  the  writings  of 
Yolney  are  comparatively  neglected.  He  was  born  in  1755, 
and  known,  in  youth,  as  Constantine  Francois  Count  de 
Chassebomf — a  name  he  not  unwisely  discarded  when  seek 
ing  the  honors  of  authorship.  After  his  early  education  was 
completed,  he  converted  his  little  patrimony  into  money,  and 
travelled  through  Egypt  and  Syria,  lived  for  months  in  the 
Maronite  convent  on  Mount  Lebanon,  to  acquire  the  Oriental 
languages,  studied  Arabic  with  the  Druses,  and  sojourned  in 
an  Arab  tent.  Not  the  least  remarkable  fact  of  his  three 
years  of  Eastern  life,  was  that  the  sum  of  a  thousand  dollars 
defrayed  the  entire  expense  thereof — a  result  he  attributes  to 
his  simple  habits  and  hardihood,  and  his  facile  self-adaptation 
to  the  modes  of  life  prevalent  among  those  with  whom  he 
became  domesticated. 

Volney's  Travels  in  the  East,  based,  as  they  were,  on  such 
unusual  opportunities  for  observation,  and  written  con  amore, 
as  indicative  of  his  opinions  not  less  than  his  adventures, 
proved  eminently  successful,  and  drew  attention  to  his  claims 
as  a  scholar  and  thinker,  and  indirectly  led  to  his  appoint- 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  99 

merit  to  an  official  station  in  Corsica,  where  he  knew  Bona 
parte.  Volney's  ambition,  however,  seems  to  have  originally 
tended  to  philosophical  eminence  rather  than  political  distinc 
tion.  He  was  a  profound  hater  of  tyranny,  and  too  inde 
pendent  and  fastidious,  as  well  as  physically  sensitive,  to 
engage  heartily  in  the  struggles  of  party  :  he  loved  rather  to 
speculate  freely,  and  to  wander,  observe,  theorize,  protest, 
and  portray.  Having  established  himself  at  Auteuil,  near 
Paris,  he  became  intimate  with  the  literary  men  of  the  day, 
embraced  the  Liberal  cause,  and,  as  deputy  from  Anjou,  in 
1789,  proved  an  effective  speaker.  In  1791  he  published 
"  Les  Ruines ;  or,  Meditations  on  the  Revolutions  of  Em 
pires  " — the  work  that  embodies  at  once  his  scepticism,  senti 
ment,  historical  speculations,  and  humanitarian  ideas ;  a  work 
whose  rhetoric  and  vaguely  sad  but  eloquent  tone  won  the 
imaginative  as  it  repelled  the  religious.  It  was  regarded  as 
among  the  most  dangerous  of  the  many  sceptical  works  of 
the  day.  The  remarks  on  sects  and  religion  excited  Joseph 
Priestley  to  a  vigorous  protest.  Volney  declined  the  pro 
posed  controversy ;  and  there  is  something  absurd  to  the 
English  reader  (who,  if  candid  and  intelligent,  must  know 
that  a  more  honest  and  humane  philosopher  than  Priestley 
never  lived)  in  the  assertion  of  the  author's  biographer,  that 
the  malevolence  of  a  rival  writer's  jealousy,  and  not  a  love 
of  truth,  led  to  the  original  challenge.  Yolney  was  a  radi 
cal,  and  a  victim  of  the  Revolution.  He  accompanied  Poz- 
zo  di  Borgo  to  Corsica,  and  endeavored  to  establish  sugar 
cultivation  there.  Failing  therein,  he  returned  to  Paris,  to 
suffer  persecution  in  the  reign  of  terror  ;  and,  on  the  fall  of 
Robespierre,  regained  his  liberty,  after  ten  months'  imprison 
ment.  In  1794  he  was  appointed  professor  of  history  in  the 
Normal  School,  on  the  philosophy  of  which  subject  he  ably 
lectured;  and,  in  1795,  embarked  at  Havre,  "  with  that  dis 
gust  and  indifference  which  the  sight  and  experience  of  injus 
tice  and  persecution  impart,"  intending  to  settle  in  the  United 
States.  He  tells  us  that  the  prospect  that  allured  him  thither 
was  certain  facts  in  regard  to  that  country  wherein  he  con- 


100  AMERICA   AND    HER   COMMENTATORS. 

sidered  it  surpassed  altogether  the  rest  of  the  civilized  world 
as  a  home  for  the  man  of  independent  mind,  brave  individu 
ality,  enterprise,  and  misfortune.  These  were,  first,  an 
immense  territory  to  be  peopled ;  second,  the  facility  of 
acquiring  landed  property ;  and  third,  personal  freedom. 
Although  Volney  found  these  privileges  extant  and  estab 
lished,  neither  his  antecedents  nor  his  disposition  were  auspi 
cious  to  their  realization.  In  his  famous  Treatise,  he  had 
traced  the  fall  of  empires,  and  speculated  on  the  origin  of 
government  and  laws  ;  the  prejudices  and  errors  of  mankind 
he  considers  the  cause  of  social  evil,  and  advocates  a  return 
to  normal  principles,  recognizing,  however,  no  basis  of  faith 
as  the  foundation  of  social  prosperity.  Montesquieu  and 
Montaigne,  Rousseau  and  Godwin,  have  made  the  essential 
truths  of  social  reform  patent ;  the  question  of  their  prac 
tical  organization  remains  an  unsolved  problem,  except^  as 
regards  individual  fealty.  Combe  and  Spurzheim  showed 
that  the  violation  of  the  natural  laws  was  the  root  of  human 
misery.  Buckle  illustrates  the  historical  influence  of  super 
stition  upon  society ;  and  Emerson  throws  aphoristic  shells  at 
fortified  popular  errors,  or  what  he  considers  such,  that  ex 
plode  and  sparkle,  but  fail  to  destroy :  all  and  each  of  these 
and  other  kindred  theorists  expose  evil  far  better  than  they 
propose  good ;  repudiate,  but  do  not  create  ;  and  this  vital 
defect  underlies  the  philosophy  of  Yolney,  which  is  desti 
tute  of  the  conservate  elements  of  more  benign  and  recep 
tive  minds.  It  eloquently  depicts  wrong,  ingeniously  ac 
counts  for  error,  but  offers  no  positive  conviction  or  practical 
ameliorations  whereon  the  social  edifice  can  firmly  rise  in  new 
and  more  grand  proportions.*  His  Utopian  anticipations  of 
a  political  millennium  in  America  were  disappointed  ;  and  per- 

*  "  The  conclusion  to  which  Volney  makes  his  interlocutor  come,  is,  that 
nothing  can  be  true,  nothing  can  be  a  ground  of  peace  and  union  which  is 
not  visible  to  the  senses.  Truth  is  in  conformity  with  sensations.  The  book 
is  interesting  as  a  work  of  art ;  but  its  analysis  of  Christianity  is  so  shocking 
that  its  absurdity  alone  prevents  its  becoming  dangerous." — Critical  History 
of  Free  Thought,  by  A.  S.  FARRAR,  M.  A. 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS    AND    WRITERS.  101 

sonal  resentment,  imprudence,  and  egotism  aggravated  this 
result.  His  visit  was  abruptly  closed ;  and  the  record 
thereof  became,  for  these  reasons,  incomplete,  and  warped 
by  prejudice,  yet  not  without  special  merit,  and  a  peculiar 
interest  and  value. 

Volney's  difficulties  as  an  emigrant  were  complicated 
by  political  excitement  incident  to  the  troubles  in  France,  the 
arrogant  encroachments  of  Genet,  and  the  partisan  strife 
thus  engendered.  In  the  words  of  his  biographer,  "  the  epi 
demic  animosity  against  the  French  breaking  out,  compelled 
him  to  withdraw  " — a  course  rendered  more  imperative,  ac 
cording  to  the  same  authority,  "  by  the  attacks  of  a  person 
who  was  then  all  powerful."  He  was  charged  with  being 
a  secret  agent  of  his  Government,  conspiring  to  deliver 
Louisiana  to  the  Directory ;  and  we  are  gravely  told  that 
"  the  world  would  be  astonished  at  the  animosity  of  John 
Adams,"  who,  Volney  declares,  "  had  no  motive  but  the 
rancor  of  an  author,  on  account  of  my  opinion  of  his  book  on 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States."  In  these  state 
ments,  those  cognizant  of  the  attempted  interference  of  for 
eigners,  sustained  by  party  zeal,  and  the  just  indignation  and 
firm  conduct  of  Washington,  at  that  memorable  crisis,  can 
easily  understand  why  Volney  found  it  expedient  to  relin 
quish  his  purpose  to  settle  in  America.  On  returning  to 
France,  he  was  a  senator  during  the  consulship  of  Napoleon ; 
and,  in  1814,  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Peers.  He  died 
in  Paris  in  1820.  The  following  year  his  works  were  col 
lected  and  published  in  eight  handsome  volumes.  "  I  am  of 
opinion,"  he  writes,  "  that  Travels  belong  to  history,  and  not 
to  romance.  I  have,  therefore,  not  described  countries  as 
more  beautiful  than  they  appeared  to  me  ;  I  have  not  repre 
sented  their  inhabitants  more  virtuous  nor  more  wicked  than 
I  have  found  them." 

Volney  made  the  reflections,  historic  and  speculative,  in 
duced  by  the  contemplations  of  "  solitary  ruins,  holy  sepul 
chres,  and  silent  walls,"  the  nucleus  and  inspiration  for  the 
utterance  of  his  theories  of  life  and  man.  He  apostrophizes 


102  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

them  as  witnesses  of  the  past,  and  evokes  phantoms  of 
buried  empires  to  attest  the  causes  of  their  decline,  and  the 
means  and  method  of  human  regeneration.  There  is  a  nov 
elty  in  this  manner  of  treating  great  questions ;  and  this, 
combined  with  rhetorical  language,  a  philosophical  tone,  and 
no  inconsiderable  knowledge,  explains  the  interest  his  work 
excited.  Stripped  of  glowing  epithets  and  conventional 
terms,  there  is,  however,  little  originality  in  his  deductions, 
and  much  sophistry  in  his  reasonings.  Like  Rousseau,  he 
reverts  to  the  primitive  wants  and  rights  of  humanity  ;  like 
Godwin,  he  advocates  a  return  to  the  normal  principles  of 
political  justice  as  the  only  legitimate  basis  of  social  organ 
ization  ;  and,  like  the  enthusiasts  of  the  first  French  Revolu 
tion,  he  claims  liberty  and  equality  for  man  as  the  only  true 
conditions  of  progress ;  while  he  ascribes  to  ignorance  and 
cupidity  the  evils  of  his  lot  and  the  fall  of  nations.  In 
common,  however,  with  so  many  speculative  reformers  of 
that  and  subsequent  periods,  his  practical  suggestions  are 
altogether  disproportioned  to  his  eloquent  protest ;  and  his 
estimate  of  Christianity  fails  to  recognize  its  inherent  author 
ity  as  verified  by  the  highest  and  most  pure  moral  intuitions, 
and  confirmed  by  the  absolute  evidence  manifest  in  the 
character,  influence,  and  truths  made  patent  and,  pervasive  by 
its  Founder.  As  a  traveller,  Volney  wrote  with  remarkable 
intelligence ;  as  a  student  of  history,  his  expositions  were 
often  comprehensive  and  original ;  as  a  moralist,  he  grasped 
the  rationale  of  natural  laws  and  duties ;  and  as  a  linguist, 
his  attainments  were  remarkable.  There  is  more  pique  than 
candor  in  his  reply  to  Priestley's  letter  controverting  his 
atheistical  views.  His  labors  as  professor  in  the  Normal 
School  of  Paris,  as  administrator  in  Corsica,  as  a  political 
representative,  and  an  economical  writer,  indicate  rare  assi 
duity,  insight,  and  progressive  zeal.  His  biographer  claims 
that  from  his  "  earliest  youth  he  devoted  himself  to  the 
search  after  truth ; "  extols  "  the  accuracy  of  his  views  and 
the  justness  of  his  observations" — his  moral  courage,  and 
the  originality  of  his  system  "  of  applying  to  the  study  of 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  103 

the  idioms  of  Asia  a  part  of  the  grammatical  notions  we  pos 
sess  concerning  the  languages  of  Europe  " — and  of  his  doctrine 
"  that  a  state  is  so  much  the  more  powerful  as  it  includes  a 
greater  number  of  proprietors — that  is,  a  greater  division  of 
property."  Erudite,  austere,  a  lover  of  freedom,  and  a 
seeker  for  truth,  whatever  might  be  the  speculative  tenden 
cies  of  Volney,  his  information  and  his  philosophic  aspira 
tions  won  him  friends  and  honor  at  home  and  abroad ;  but 
his  sceptical  generalizations  repel  as  much  as  his  adventurous 
individuality  attracts.  His  visit  to  this  country  is  thus 
alluded  to  by  his  biographer :  "  Disgusted  with  the  scenes 
he  had  witnessed  in  his  native  land,  he  felt  that  passion  re 
vive  within  him,  which,  in  his  youth,  had  led  him  to  visit 
Africa  and  Asia.  Then,  in  the  prime  of  life,  he  joyfully  bade 
adieu  to  a  land  where  peace  and  plenty  reigned,  to  travel 
among  barbarians  ;  now,  in  mature  years,  but  dismayed  at 
the  spectacle  of  injustice  and  persecutions,  it  was  with  diffi 
dence,  as  we  learn  from  himself,  that  he  went  to  implore 
from  a  free  people  an  asylum  for  a  sincere  friend  of  that  lib-, 
erty  that  had  been  so  profaned." 

Although  imbittered  by  personal  difficulties  and  acrimo 
nious  controversy,  the  sojourn  of  Volney  in  the  United 
States  was  not  given  to  superficial  observation,  but  to  scien 
tific  inquiry.  In  this  respect,  his  example  was  worthy  of  a 
philosopher ;  and  it  is  a  characteristic  evidence  of  his  assidu 
ity,  that  he  improved  his  acquaintance  with  the  famous  Miami 
chief,  Little  Turtle,  when  the  latter  visited  Philadelphia,  in 
1797,  on  treaty  business,  to  make  a  vocabulary  of  the  lan 
guage  of  that  aboriginal  tribe. 

His  work  *  on  this  country,  published  in  England  with 
additions,  is  less  rhetorical,  on  account  of  the  subjects  dis 
cussed,  than  his  other  writings ;  singularly  devoid  of  per 
sonal  anecdote,  and,  but  for  the  description  of  Niagara  Falls, 
and  the  bite  of  a  rattlesnake,  comparatively  unpicturesque 

*  Volncy's  (C.  F.)  "  Yiew  of  the  Climate  and  Soil  of  the  United  States, 
&c.,  and  Vocabulary  of  the  Miami  Language,"  8vo,  maps  and  plates,  London, 
1804. 


104  AMEEICA  AND  HER  COMMENT ATORS. 

and  un adventurous  as  a  narrative.  It  anticipates  somewhat 
the  later  labors  of  savans  and  economists,  and  sets  forth  with 
acumen  many  of  the  physical  features,  resources,  and  charac 
teristics  of  the  country.  It  possesses  an  extrinsic  interest 
quite  unique,  from  the  antecedents  and  literary  reputation 
of  the  author ;  and  it  is  in  the  latter  character  that  he  is 
remembered,  as  identified  with  the  progress  of  infidelity — 
but  original,  philosophic,  and  liberal.  Catharine  of  Russia 
recognized  his  merit ;  Holbach  introduced  him  to  Franklin ; 
and  he  solaced  his  wounded  pride,  after  leaving  this  country, 
by  reverting  to  the  consideration  manifested  for  him  by 
Washington.  He  is  the  first  foreign  writer  of  eminence  who 
made  the  climate  of  North  America  a  subject  of  study  and 
scientific  report ;  and  his  views  and  facts  have  been  and  are 
still  often  referred  to  as  authoritative,  notwithstanding  their 
limited  application.  His  description  of  the  action  and  influ 
ence  of  winds  is  highly  picturesque,  and  his  observations  on 
rain  and  electricity  noteworthy. 

When  Yolney,  in  his  preface,  advises  Frenchmen  not  to 
emigrate  to  America,  because  the  laws,  language,  and  man 
ners  are  uncongenial,  though  better  adapted  to  the  English, 
Scotch,  and  Dutch,  he  adds  :  "  I  say  with  regret,  my  experi 
ence  did  not  lead  me  to  find  ces  dispositions  fraternelles  I 
had  looked  for."  The  political  exigencies  at  the  time  of  his 
visit,  and  personal  disappointment,  evidently  warped  the 
philosopher's  candid  judgment;  and  he  confesses  feeling 
obliged  thereby  to  give  scientific  rather  than  social  commen 
taries  on  America.  His  analysis  and  description  of  the  soil 
and  climate  are  brief.  He  begins  with  the  geographical 
situation,  discusses  the  marine,  sandy,  calcareous,  granite, 
mountain,  and  other  regions,  the  Atlantic  coast,  and  the  Mis- 
sissipi  basin.  Subsequent  geological  researches,  the  progress 
of  meteorological  and  ethnological  science  since  his  day,  com 
bine  to  render  Yolney's  tableaux  more  curious  than  satisfac 
tory  or  complete.  He  has  specific  remarks  on  New  Hamp 
shire,  based  on  a  then  current  history  of  that  State  by  Samuel 
Williams,  many  facts  and  speculations  in  regard  to  the 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  105 

aborigines,  and  interesting  notes  respecting  the  French  colo 
nists. 

Volney's  visit  was  long  remembered  by  our  older  citi 
zens.  A  Knickerbocker  reminiscent,  in  describing  the  local 
associations  of  "  Richmond  Hill,"  in  the  city  of  New  York — 
a  domain  now  marked  by  the  junction  of  Yarick  and  Van- 
dam  streets — speaks  of  the  Lispenard  meadows  once  flanking 
the  spot,  and  of  the  adjacent  forest  trees,  where  the  echo  of 
the  sportsman's  gun  often  resounded ;  and,  in  allusion  to  the 
mansion  itself,  notes  the  curious  fact  that  the  first  opera 
house  was  built  upon  its  site  ;  that  the  elder  Adams  resided 
there  when  Congress  met  in  New  York ;  and  that  the  dwell 
ing  became  the  home  of  the  notorious  Aaron  Burr,  among 
whose  guests  he  mentions  Volney,  "  whose  portly  form  gave 
outward  tokens  of  his  tremendous  vitality,  while  the  Syrian 
traveller  descanted  on  theogony,  the  races  of  the  red  men, 
and  Niagara."  * 

We  have  a  curious  glimpse  of  Volney  during  his  tour  in 
this  country,  from  another  venerable  reminiscent :  "  Some 
thirty  or  more  years  ago,  at  the  close  of  a  summer's  day,  a 
stranger  entered  Warrentown.  He  was  alone  and  on  foot, 
and  his  appearance  was  anything  but  prepossessing  ;  his  gar 
ments  coarse  and  dust-covered,  like  an  individual  in  the  hum 
bler  walks.  From  a  cane  resting  across  his  shoulder  was  sus 
pended  a  handkerchief  containing  his  clothing.  Stopping  in 
front  of  Turner's  tavern,  he  took  from  his  hat  a  paper,  and 
handed  it  to  a  gentleman  standing  on  the  steps.  It  read  as 
follows :  c  The  celebrated  historian  and  naturalist,  Volney, 
needs  no  recommendation  from  G.  Washington.' " 

It  is  said  that  the  idea  of  his  celebrated  work  on  the 
Ruins  of  Empires  was  first  suggested  in  the  cabinet  of 
Franklin.  Herein  he  elaborately  proclaims  and  precisely 
defines  the  law  of  decay  as  the  condition  of  humanity  in  her 
most  magnificent  social  development ;  and  states,  with  the 
eloquence  of  scientific  logic,  the  right,  necessity,  and  duty  of 

*  "  Old  New  York,"  by  Dr.  Francis. 
5* 


106  AMERICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

toleration — then  a  doctrine  but  casually  recognized  as  a 
philosophical  necessity.  It  was  objected  to  this  work,  in 
addition  to  its  sceptical  generalization,  that,  in  describing 
sects,  he  misrepresented  their  creed  and  practice.  A  merit, 
however,  claimed  for  Volney,  and  with  reason,  is  his  freedom 
from  egotism  when  writing  as  a  philosopher.  There  is  a 
remarkable  absence  of  personal  anecdote  and  adventures  both 
in  his  work  on  the  East  and  his  American  travels.  One  of 
his  biographers  claims  that  the  topographical  descriptions  in 
the  latter  are  written  in  a  masterly  style,  and  that  his  re 
marks  on  the  course  and  currents  of  the  winds  denote  origi 
nal  insight  and  observation.  The  same  writer,  however, 
states  that  his  character,  which  was  naturally  serious,  became 
morose  as  he  advanced  in  life. 

It  was  his  original  purpose  to  treat  of  America  as  a 
political  essayist  and  social  philosopher.  He  intended  to 
trace  "  the  stock,  the  history,  language,  laws,  and  customs ; 
to  expose  the  error  of  the  romantic  colonists,  who  gave  the 
name  of  a  virgin  people  to  their  descendants — a  combination 
of  the  inhabitants  of  old  Europe — Dutch,  Germans,  Span 
iards,  and  English  from  three  kingdoms ;  to  indicate  the 
differences  of  opinions  and  of  interests  which  divide  the  New 
England  and  Southern  country — the  region  of  the  Atlantic 
and  that  of  the  Mississippi ;  to  define  republicanism  arid 
federalism,"  &c.  A  profound  admirer  of  the  liberty  of  the 
press  and  of  opinion,  he  would  have  explained  the  antag 
onism  between  the  followers  of  Adams  and  of  Jefferson.  In 
a  word,  the  scope  of  his  work,  as  at  first  projected,  resem 
bled  that  so  ably  achieved  by  his  more  consistent  and  judi 
cious  countryman,  De  Tocqueville.  Instead  of  this,  Volney 
wrote  in  a  scientific  vein.  He  treats  of  the  winds,  tempera 
ture,  qualities  of  soil,  local  diseases  ;  and  writes  as  a  natural 
ist  and  physiologist,  instead  of  making  the  great  theme 
subservient  to  his  political  theories.  There  is  much  con 
densed  knowledge  and  remarkable  scientific  description ; 
interesting  accounts  of  Florida,  the  French  colony  on  the 
Scioto,  and  others  in  Canada,  with  curious  remarks  on  the 


FEENCH   TEAVELLEES   AND   WEITEES.  107 

aborigines.  The  style  and  thought  as  well  as  scope  of  the 
work,  although  thus  partial  in  its  design,  are  superior  to  most 
of  those  which  preceded  it. 

Another  Frenchman,  who  enjoyed  considerable  literary 
renown  in  his  day,  was  instrumental,  though  not  in  the 
character  of  a  traveller,  in  making  America  and  her  political 
claims  known  in  Europe.  Born  at  St.  Geniez,  Guienne,  in 
1711,  and  dying  at  Paris  in  1796,  the  life  of  the  Abbe  Ray- 
nal  includes  a  period  fraught  with  extreme  vicissitudes  of 
government  and  religion,  whereof  he  largely  partook  in  opin 
ion  and  fortune.  Bred  a  Jesuit,  he  went  to  Paris,  and,  from 
some  elocutionary  defects,  failed  as  a  preacher  at  St.  Sulpice, 
became  intimate  with  Voltaire,  Diderot,  and  D'Alembert, 
and  abandoned  theology  for  philosophy.  Familiar  with  the 
writings  of  Bayle,  Montaigne,  and  Rousseau,  he  became  an 
ardent  liberal  and  active  litterateur  ;  first  compiling  memoirs 
of  Ninon  de  L'Enclos,  then  writing  "  L'Histoire  du  Stathou- 
derat" — a  branch  of  the  noble  theme  since  so  memorably 
unfolded  by  our  countryman  Motley;  the  "Histoire  du  Parle- 
inent  d'Angleterre  ; "  articles  in  .the  "  Cyclopaedia ; "  literary 
anecdotes,  &c.  But  the  work  which  for  a  time  gave  him 
most  celebrity,  was  written  in  conjunction  with  Diderot — 
"  Histoire  philosophique  et  politique  des  Etablissements  et  du 
commerce  des  Europeens  dans  les  Indes."  The  first  edition 
appeared  in  1770.  In  the  second,  ten  years  after,  his  direct 
attacks  upon  the  existing  government  and  religion  caused  the 
work  to  be  prohibited,  and  its  author  condemned  to  imprison 
ment ;  which  latter  penalty  he  escaped  by  flight.  In  1781 
appeared  his  "  Tableau  et  Revolutions  des  Colonies  Anglaises 
dans  1'Amerique  Septentrionale,"  *  whose  many  errors  of  fact 
were  indicated  in  a  pamphlet  by  Tom  Paine.  Elected  a 
deputy,  his  renunciation  of  some  of  his  obnoxious  opinions 
failed  to  conciliate  his  adversaries  ;  and,  despoiled  by  the 
Revolution,  he  died  in  poverty,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four. 
Incorrect  and  desultory  as  are  the  Abbe  Raynal's  writings, 

*"The  Abbe  Raynal  on  the  Revolution  in  America,"  12mo.,  Dublin, 
1781. 


108  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

and  neglected  as  they  now  are,  his  advocacy  of  the  American 
cause,  and  description  of  the  country,  drawn  apparently  from 
inadequate  yet  sometimes  authentic  sources,  on  account  of  a 
certain  philosophical  tone  and  agreeability  of  style,  were  for 
some  years  read  and  admired.  As  we  recur  to  them  in  the 
ninth  volume  of  the  latest  edition  of  his  chief  work,  wherein 
they  are  now  included,  we  obtain  a  vivid  idea  of  the  kind  of 
research  and  rhetoric  then  in  vogue,  and  can  imagine  how  to 
foreign  minds  must  then  have  appeared  the  problem  of  our 
nascent  civilization. 

The  Abbe's  biographer  claims  that  he  was  personally  very 
agreeable,  and  possessed  of  a  fine  figure  ;  that  the  vivacious 
discussions  and  literary  fellowship  of  the  Paris  salons  en 
livened  and  enlarged  the  acquisitions  of  this  eleve  of  the 
cloister  who  "  succeeded  in  the  world,"  and,  though  he  did 
not  understand  the  science  of  politics,  and  often  contradicted 
himself,  was,  notwithstanding,  an  ardent  and  capable  de 
fender  of  human  rights,  and  a  true  lover  of  his  race.  It  is  a 
curious  fact,  that  he  was  a  warm  admirer  and  eloquent  eulo 
gist  of  Sterne's  fair  friend,  Eliza  Draper ;  and  a  more  inter 
esting  one,  that  he  was  among  the  very  earliest  to  protest 
against  the  cruelties  then  practised  against  the  negro  race. 
He  draws  a  parallel,  at  the  close  of  his  history,  between  the 
actual  results  of  European  conquests  in  America,  and  their 
imagined  benefits.  The  new  empire  multiplied  metals,  and 
made  a  grand  movement  in  the  world  ;  but,  says  the  Abbe, 
"  le  mouvement  ne'st  pas  le  bonheur,"  and  the  Western  em 
pire  "  donne  naissance  au  plus  infame,  au  plus  atroce  de  tous 
les  commerces,  celui  des  esclaves."  Chiefly  occupied  with 
the  West  India  Islands,  what  is  said  of  North  America  is  dis 
cursive.  He  describes  the  process  of  civilization  in  brief ;  the 
Puritan,  Dutch,  and  Catholic  leaders ;  Penn,  and  Lord  Balti 
more  ;  the  settlement  of  Georgia  and  Carolina ;  the  trees, 
grain,  birds,  tobacco,  and  other  indigenous  products ;  notes 
the  imported  domestic  animals,  and  the  exported  wood  and 
metals ;  discusses  the  probable  success  of  silk  and  vine  cul 
ture  in  the  southern  and  middle  regions,  and  gives  statistics 


FRENCH    TRAVELLERS    AND    WRITERS.  109 

of  the  population,  and  partial  accounts  of  the  laws,  currency, 
municipal  and  colonial  systems,  <fcc.,  of  the  several  States ; 
and  then,  in  outline,  describes  the  Revolution.  A  love  of 
freedom,  and  a  speculative  hardihood  and  interest  in  human 
progress  and  prosperity,  imbue  his  narratives  and  reasonings, 
though  the  former  are  often  incorrect,  and  the  latter  inade 
quate. 

According  to  the  habit  of  French  authors  of  those  days, 
the  Abbe  occasionally  turns  from  disquisition  to  oratory; 
and  it  is  amusing  to  read  here  and  now  the  oracular  counsel 
he  gave  our  fathers  :  addressing  the  "  peuples  de  PAmerique 
Septentrionale,"  in  1781  :  "  Craignez,"  he  says,  "  1'affluence  de 
For  qui  apporte  avec  le  luxe  la  corruption  des  moeurs,  le 
mepris  des  lois ;  craignez  une  trop  inegale  repartition  des 
richesses  ;  garantissez-vous  de  Fesprit  de  conquete  ;  cherchez 
1'aisance  et  la  sante  dans  le  travail,  la  prosperite  dans  la  cul 
ture  des  terres  et  les  ateliers  de  1'industrie,  la  force  dans  les 
bonnes  moeurs  et  dans  la  vertu  ;  faites  prosperer  les  sciences 
et  les  artes  ;  veillez  a  1'education  de  vos  enfans  ;  n'etablissez 
aucune  preference  legale  entre  les  cultes.  Apres  avoir  vu 
dans  le  debut  de  cet  ouvrage,  en  quel  etat  de  misere  et  de 
tenebres  etait  1'Europe  a  la  naissance  de  FAmerique,  voyons 
en  quel  etat  le  conquete  d'un  monde  a  conduit  et  pousse  le 
monde  conquerante."  He  laments  the  fanaticism  of  Massa 
chusetts  ;  tells  the  story  of  Salem  witchcraft,  and  the  per 
petuation  in  the  New  of  the  cruel  laws  of  the  Old  World ; 
says  epidemics  like  the  small  pox  acquire  new  virulence  in 
America ;  praises  the  Long  Wharf  of  Boston,  and  compares 
the  dwellings  and  furniture  of  that  city  to  those  of  London. 


CHAPTER   IY. 

FRENCH  TRAVELLERS  AND    WRITERS  CONTINUED. 

ROCHAMBEAU  ;  TALLEYRAND  ;  sfiGTJR ;  CHATEAUBRIAND  ;  MICHATTX  ; 
MURAT ;  BRILLAT-SAVARIN  ;  DE  TOCQUEVILLE  ;  DE  BEAUMONT ; 
AMPERE,  AND  OTHERS  ;  LAFAYETTE  ;  FISCH  ;  DE  GASPARIN ; 

OFFICERS;  LABOULAYE,  ETC. 

SOME  of  the  most  pleasing  and  piquant  descriptions  of 
America,  and  life  there,  at  the  period  of  and  subsequent  to 
the  Revolutionary  War,  are  to  be  found  in  the  memoirs  and 
correspondence  of  French  allies  and  emigres.  In  some  in 
stances,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  case  of  Chastellux,  Brissot, 
the  Abbe  Robin,  and  others,  instead  of  an  episode,  our  Gallic 
visitors  have  expanded  their  observations  into  separate  vol 
umes  ;  but  even  the  casual  mention  of  places  and  persons, 
character  and  customs  that  are  interwoven  in  the  biography 
and  journals  of  some  of  the  French  officers,  are  noteworthy 
as  illustrations  of  the  times,  especially  in  a  social  point  of 
view.  We  find  them  in  the  memoirs  of  De  Lauzun,  De 
Segur,  De  Broglie,  and  other  of  the  gallant  beaux  who  made 
themselves  so  agreeable  to  the  pretty  Quakers  at  Newport, 
where  they  were  so  long  quartered ;  and  left,  as  in  the  case 
of  Yosmeneul,  traditions  of  wit,  love,  and  dancing — the 
evanescent  record  whereof  still  survives  in  the  initials  cut  on 
the  little  window  panes  of  the  gable-roofed  houses  with 
their  diamond  rings,  and  were  long  rehearsed  by  venerable 
ladies  of  Philadelphia  and  Boston.  Among  these  incidental 
glimpses  of  America  as  her  scenes  and  people  impressed  a 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  Ill 

noble  militaire,  are  many  passages  in  the  Memoirs  of  Count 
Rochambeau,  who  is  so  prominently  represented  beside 
Washington  in  the  picture  of  the  surrender  of  Yorktown,  at 
Versailles.  Born  in  1725,  and  soon  distinguished  as  a  sol 
dier,  in  1780  he  was  sent  as  the  commander-general  of  six 
thousand  troops,  to  assist  our  Revolutionary  struggle.  He 
landed  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  and  acted  in  concert  with  Wash 
ington  against  Clinton  in  New  York,  and  against  Cornwallis 
at  Yorktown.  On  his  return  to  France,  he  was  made  mar 
shal,  and  commander  of  the  Army  of  the  North,  by  Louis 
XVI.  He  was  gradually  superseded  by  more  energetic 
officers,  became  the  object  of  calumny  to  the  journalists,  and 
vindicated  himself  in  a  speech  before  the  Assembly,  who 
passed  a  decree  approving  his  conduct.  He  retired  to  his 
estate  at  Vendome,  resolved  to  abandon  public  affairs.  He 
was  arrested,  and  narrowly  escaped  death  under  Robespierre 
— like  so  many  of  his  eminent  countrymen  who  had  become 
well  known  on  this  side  of  the  ocean.  In  1803  he  was  pre 
sented  to  Bonaparte,  who  conferred  on  him  the  cross  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor.  He  died  in  1807,  and,  two  years  after, 
his  "  Meinoires  "  were  published. 

Count  Rochambeau  describes  at  length  the  military  oper 
ations  of  which  he  was  a  witness  in  America,  and  looks  at 
the  country,  for  the  most  part,  with  the  eyes  of  a  soldier. 
He  repudiates  all  idea  of  writing  in  the  character  of  a  pro 
fessed  author,  and  both  the  style  and  substance  of  his  auto 
biography  are  those  of  a  military  memoir.  Still  he  records 
many  significant  facts,  geographical  and  economical.  He 
notes  the  agricultural  resources  of  those  parts  of  the  country 
he  visited,  describes  the  houses,  ports,  and  climate,  and 
gives  an  interesting  account  of  Arnold's  treason — first  re 
vealed  to  Washington  in  connection  with  a  journey  under 
taken  by  the  latter  to  meet  him  ;  and  of  many  of  the  subse- 
quents  events  connected  therewith  he  was  a  witness.  But 
the  most  attractive  feature  of  Rochambeau's  American 
reminiscences  is  his  cordial  recognition  of  the  popular  mind 
and  heart.  He  appreciated,  better  than  many  more  super- 


112  AMERICA  AND   HER  COMMENTATORS. 

ficial  observers,  the  domestic  discipline,  the  religious  tolera 
tion,  and  the  genuine  independence  of  character  which  then 
formed  our  noble  distinction  in  the  view  of  liberal  Europeans. 
He  remarks  the  imequal  interest  in  the  war  in  different 
localities  :  "  En  distinguant  d'abord  les  commer§ans  des  agri- 
coles,  les  habitudes  des  graudes  villes  maritimes  de  ceux  des 
petites  villes  ou  des  habitans  de  1'interieur,  ou  ne  doit  pas 
etre  etonne  que  les  commergans  et  ceux  qui,  dans  ces  ports, 
avaient  une  relation  ou  des  intdsrets  directs  avec  le  gouverne- 
inent  Anglais,  aient  temoigne  moins  de  zele  pour  la  revolu 
tion  que  les  agricoles."  Boston  was  an  exception;  and  the 
Northern  States  seconded  the  Revolution  which  the  violence 
of  the  British  and  Hessians  precipitated.  The  equal  for 
tunes  of  the  North  favored  democracy,  while  the  large  pro 
prietors  of  the  South  formed  an  aristocracy.  He  says  of 
American  women :  "  Les  filles  y  sont  libres  jusqu'a  leur 
mariage.  Leur  premiere  question  est  de  savoir  si  vous  etes 
marie ;  et,  si  vous  1'etes,  leur  conversation  tonibe  tout  a  plat." 
Sometimes  in  youth,  though  going  to  church  with  parents, 
"  elles  n'aient  pas  encore  fait  choix  d'une  religion ;  elles 
disent  qu'elles  seront  de  la  religion  de  leur  maris."  They 
observe,  he  says,  "  une  grande  propriete."  He  describes  a 
settlement  "  par  mettre  le  feu  a  la  foret  (to.  clear).  II  seme 
en  suite,  entre  les  souches,  toutes  sortes  de  grains,  qui  crois 
sant  avec  la  plus  grande  abondance,  sous  une  couche  de 
feuilles,  pourries  et  reduites  en  terreau  vegetal  forme  pen 
dant  un  tres-grand  nombre  d'annees.  II  batit  son  habitation 
avec  les  rameaux  de  ces  arbres  places  1'un  sur  1'autre,  soutenus 
par  des  piquets.  Au  bout  de  vingt  ou  trente  ans,  lorsqu'il 
est  parvenu  a  desancher  et  a  rendre  la  terre  ameublie,  il 
songe  a  construire  une  maison  plus  propre  " — and  later  one  of 
brick ;  "  on  y  fait  au  moins  quatre  repas,  interrompu  par  un 
travail  moder6,  et  le  petit  negre  est  continuellement  occupe  a 
defaire  et  a  remettre  le  convert. 

"  Dans  les  grands  villes,"  he  adds,  "  le  luxe  a  fait  plus  de 
progres.  Le  pays  circonscrit  sous  le  nom  des  Etats  Unis, 
avec  les  arrondissemens  qu'ont  cedes  les  Anglais,  par  la  paix 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  113 

de  1783,  pourra  comporter  un  jour  plus  de  trente  millions 
d'habitans  sans  a  gener." 

He  recognizes  the  complete  division  of  church  and 
state  in  our  democratic  system :  "  Par  ces  precautions,  la 
religion  n'entra  pour  rien  dans  les  deliberations  politiques ; 
chacun  professa  son  culte  avec  exactitude ;  la  sanctification 
du  dimanche  s'y  observoit  avec  exactitude ; "  and,  like  so 
many  other  sojourners  of  that  period,  he  attests  that  "1'hos- 
pitalite  est  la  vertu  la  plus  generalement  observee." 

An  incident  related  by  his  companion,  illustrates  the 
popular  respect  for  law :  "  At  the  moment  of  our  quitting 
the  camp,"  writes  Count  Segur,  "  as  M.  de  Rochambeau 
was  proceeding  at  the  head  of  his  columns,  and  surrounded 
by  his  brilliant  staff,  an  American  approached  him,  tapped 
him  slightly  on  the  shoulder,  and,  showing  him  a  paper  he 
held  in  his  hand,  said  :  '  In  the  name  of  the  law  I  arrest  you.' 
Several  young  officers  were  indignant  at  this  insult  offered  to 
their  general ;  but  he  restrained  their  impatience  by  a  sign, 
smiled,  and  said  to  the  American,  '  Take  me  away  with  you, 
if  you  can.'  c  No,'  replied  he  ;  '  I  have  done  my  duty,  and 
your  excellency  may  proceed  on  your  march,  if  you  wish  to 
put  justice  at  defiance.  Some  soldiers  of  the  division  of 
Soissonnais  have  cut  down  several  trees,  and  burnt  them  to 
light  their  fires.  The  owner  of  them  claims  an  indemnity, 
and  has  obtained  a  warrant  against  you,  which  I  have  come 
to  execute.' " 

Rochambeau  was  much  impressed  with  the  state  of  reli 
gion  in  America,  and  especially  the  voluntary  deference  to 
the  clergy,  coexistent  with  self-respect  and  self-reliance  in 
matters  of  faith,  so  manifest  at  the  era  of  the  Revolution. 
"  They  reserve,"  he  writes,  "  for  the  minister  the  first  place 
at  public  banquets ;  he  invokes  a  blessing  thereon  ;  but  his 
prerogatives,  as  far  as  society  is  concerned,  extend  no  far 
ther  ;  and  this  position,"  he  adds,  obviously  in  view  of  cleri 
cal  corruption  in  Europe,  "  should  lead  naturally  to  simple 
and  pure  manners." 

Another  anecdote,  illustrative  of  the  times  and  people,  is 


114:  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

related  with  much  zest :  "  Je  hasarde,"  he  says,  "  d'inter- 
rompre  ici  I'attention  du  lecteur,  par  le  recit  d'une  historiette 
qui  ni  laisse  pas  de  caracteriser  parfaitement  les  racours  des 
bons  republicans  du  Connecticut."  He  then  states  that, 
being  on  his  way  to  Hartford,  to  confer  with  Washington, 
and  accompanied  by  the  Count  de  Ternay,  who  was  an  in 
valid,  the  carriage  broke  down,  and  his  aide  was  sent  to  find 
a  blacksmith  to  repair  it.  The  only  one  in  the  vicinity,  being 
ill  with  fever  and  ague,  refused,  and  declared  a  hat  full  of 
guineas  would  not  induce  him  to  undertake  the  job ;  but 
when  the  Count  explained  to  the  resolute  Yulcan,  that  if  his 
vehicle  was  not  repaired,  he  could  not  keep  his  appointment 
with  Washington,  "I  am  at  the  public  service.  You  shall 
have  your  carnage  at  six  to-morrow  morning,"  said  the  black 
smith,  "  for  you  are  good  people."  Such  instances  of  disin 
terested  patriotism,  and  superiority  to  the  blandishments  of 
rank  and  money,  among  the  mechanics  and  farmers,  struck 
Rochambeau  and  his  companions  as  memorable  evidences  of 
the  effect  of  free  institutions  and  popular  education  upon 
national  character. 

Another  famous  Frenchman,  at  a  later  period,  received 
quite  a  different  impression — finding  in  the  isolated  material 
ism  of  American  border  life  a  hopeless  dearth  of  sentiment 
and  civilized  enjoyment,  which,  in  his  view,  though  habitu 
ated  to  the  sight  of  starving  millions  and  effeminate  cour 
tiers,  more  than  counterbalanced  the  independence  and  pros 
pective  comfort  of  the  masses  thus  bravely  secured.  When 
Talleyrand  was  a  temporary  exile  in  the  United  States,  he 
visited  a  colony  of  his  countrymen,  and  wrote  thus  of  the 
American  backwoodsman :  "  He  is  interested  in  nothing. 
Every  sentimental  idea  is  banished  from  him.  Those 
branches  so  elegantly  thrown  by  nature — a  fine  foliage,  a 
brilliant  hue  which  marks  one  part  of  the  forest,  a  deeper 
green  which  darkens  another — all  these  are  nothing  in  his 
eye.  He  has  no  recollections  associated  with  anything  around 
him.  His  only  thought  is  the  number  of  strokes  which  are 
necessary  to  level  this  or  that  tree.  He  has  never  planted ; 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  •     115 

he  is  a  stranger  to  the  pleasure  of  that  process.  Were  lie  to 
plant  a  tree,  it  never  could  become  an  object  of  gratification 
to  him,  because  he  could  not  live  to  cut  it  down.  He  lives 
only  to  destroy.  He  is  surrounded  by  destruction.  He  does 
not  watch  the  destiny  of  what  he  produces.  He  does  not 
love  the  field  wnere  he  has  expended  his  labor,  because  his 
labor  is  merely  fatigue,  and  has  no  pleasurable  sentiment 
attached  to  it." 

Few  men  bom  in  the  Eastern  States,  especially  if  they 
have  visited  Europe,  can  fail  to  realize  a  certain  forlorn  re 
moteness  in  the  sensation  experienced,  when  surrounded  by 
the  sparsely  inhabited  woods  and  prairies,  akin  to  what  Talley 
rand  describes.  The  back  country  of  the  Upper  Mississippi 
seems  more  oppressively  lonely  to  such  a  traveller  than  the 
interior  of  Sicily.  The  want  of  that  vital  and  vivid  connec 
tion  between  the  past  and  present ;  the  painful  sense  of  new 
ness  ;  the  savage  triumph,  as  it  were,  of  nature,  however 
beautiful,  over  humanity,  whose  eager  steps  have  only  in 
vaded,  not  ameliorated  her  domain — seem,  for  the  moment, 
to  leave  us  in  desolate  individuality  and  barren  self-depend 
ence.  But  the  experience  Talleyrand  compassionated  was 
and  is  but  a  transition  state — a  brief  overture  to  a  future 
social  prosperity,  where  sentiment  as  well  as  enterprise  has 
ample  verge. 

Count  Segur,  the  French  ambassador  to  Russia  and  Prus 
sia,  was  born  in  1753,  and  his  first  youth  was  educated  under 
that  chevalresque  social  luxury  that  marked  the  reign  of  Louis 
XV.  Of  noble  birth,  and  commencing  life  as  a  courtier,  he 
experienced  to  an  unusual  extent,  the  vicissitudes,  the  disci 
pline,  and  the  distinction  incident  to  his  age  and  country. 
He  was  an  accomplished  military  officer  and  diplomatist,  an 
author,  a  politician,  a  voyageur,  and  a  peer ;  and,  withal, 
seems  to  have  been  an  amiable,  liberal,  and  brave  gentleman. 
He  came  to  America  in  1783,  with  despatches  to  Rocham- 
beau,  to  whom  he  was  appointed  aide,  with  the  rank  of 
colonel ;  and,  after  various  and  provoking  delays  and  priva- 


116  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

tions,  joined  the  French  camp  and  his  own  regiment  on  the 
Hudson  River. 

The  circumstances  of  his  landing  were  such  as  to 'predis 
pose  a  less  heroic  and  gracious  nature  to  take  an  unfavorable 
view  of  the  New  World ;  for  battle,  shipwreck,  the  loss  of 
his  effects,  great  discomfort,  and  a  series  of  annoyances  and 
mishaps  attended  him  from  the  moment  his  battered  ship  ran 
aground  in  the  Delaware,  within  sight  of  the  enemy's  fleet, 
until  he  reached  his  commander's  quarters,  after  a  wearisome 
and  exposed  journey.  Yet  few  of  his  gallant  countrymen 
looked  upon  the  novelties  of  life,  manners,  and  scenery 
around  him  with  such  partial  and  sympathetic  eyes.  Per 
haps  it  was  by  virtue  of  contrast  that  the  young  courtier  of 
Louis  conceived  a  strong  attachment  for  the  Quakers  of 
Philadelphia ;  and  this  feeling  received  a  fresh  and  fond 
impulse  from  the  charms  of  the  beautiful  Polly  Lawton,  of 
Newport. 

The  sight  of  the  American  forests  inspired  him  ;  and  the 
independent  character,  probity,  and  frugal  contentment  of 
the  people  was  the  constant  theme  of  his  admiration.  "  I 
experienced,"  he  writes,  "  two  opposite  impressions — one 
produced  by  the  spectacle  of  the  beauties  of  a  wild  and  sav 
age  nature,  and  the  other  by  the  fertility  and  variety  of 
industrious  cultivation  of  a  civilized  world.  Indigence  and 
brutality  were  nowhere  to  be  seen ;  fertility,  comfort,  and 
kindness  were  everywhere  to  be  found  ;  and  every  individual 
displayed  the  modest  and  tranquil  pride  of  an  independent 
man,  who  feels  that  he  has  nothing  above  him  but  the  laws, 
and  who  is  a  stranger  alike  to  the  vanity,  to  the  prejudices, 
and  to  the  servility  of  European  society.  No  useful  profes 
sion  is  ever  ridiculed  or  despised.  Indolence  alone  would  be 
a  subject  of  reproach." 

He  was,  at  first,  astonished  to  find  men  of  all  vocations 
with  military  titles.  The  "  wild  and  savage "  prospect 
around  West  Point  delighted  him.  He  dined  with  Wash 
ington,  and  describes  the  toasts  and  the  company  with  much 
zest.  He  enjoyed  a  week's  furlough  at  Newport,  and,  with 


FEENCH   TEAVELLEES   AND   WEITEES.  117 

his  brother  officers,  gave  a  ball  there.  Quartered  with  a 
family  at  Providence,  he  learned  to  love  the  simplicity  of 
domestic  life  in  America.  One  of  his  general  observations 
on  the  country  has  now  a  prophetic  significance  : 

"  The  only  dangers  which  can  menace,  in  the  future,  this  happy 
republic,  consisting  in  1780  of  three  millions,  and  now  (1825)  num 
bering  more  than  ten  millions  of  citizens,  is  the  excessive  wealth 
which  is  promised  by  its  commerce,  and  the  corrupting  luxury  .which 
may  follow  it.  Its  Southern  provinces  should  foresee  and  avoid  an 
other  peril.  In  the  South  are  to  be  found  a  very  large  class  of  poor 
whites,  and  another  of  enormously  wealthy  proprietors;  the  fortunes 
of  this  latter  class  are  created  and  sustained  by  the  labor  o/  a  popu 
lation  of  blacks,  slaves,  which  increases  largely  every  year,  and  who 
may  and  must  be  frequently  driven  to  despair  and  revolt  by  the  con 
trast  of  their  servitude  with  the  entire  liberty  enjoyed  by  men  of  the 
same  color  in  other  States  of  the  Union.  In  a  word,  this  difference 
of  manners  and  situation  between  the  North  and  South ;  does  it  not 
lead  us  to  apprehend  in  times  to  come  a  separation  which  would  en 
feeble  and  perhaps  break  this  happy  confederation,  which  can  pre 
serve  its  power  only  in  being  firmly  locked  and  united  together  ? 
Such  was  the  sad  thought  which  ended  my  last  conversation  with 
the  Chevalier  de  Chastellux,  on  the  eve  of  his  departure  from  the 
army."  * 

Like  so  many  other  visitors,  he  was  struck  with  the  re 
semblance  of  Boston  to  an  English  town,  with  the  beauty 
of  its  women,  and  with  the  preaching  of  Dr.  Cooper.  In  a 
letter  written  on  embarking  for  the  West  Indies,  he  ex 
presses  keen  regret  at  leaving  America,  dwells  with  much 
feeling  upon  the  kindness  he  had  received  and  the  opportuni 
ties  he  had  enjoyed  there,  and  descants  upon  the  purity  of 
manners,  equality  of  condition,  and  manly  self-reliance  which, 
combined  with  the  natural  advantages  of  the  country  and 
the  freedom  of  its  institutions,  made  America  to  him  a  subject 
of  the  most  interesting  speculation  and  affectionate  interest. 

Another  Frenchman,  whose  name  and  fame  are  far  more 
illustriously  identified  with  the  political  vicissitudes  and  influ 
ential  literature  of  his  times,  saw  somewhat  of  America,  and 

*  "  Memoires,"  &c.,  par  M.  le  Comte  de  Segur,  torn,  i,  pp.  412,  413, 
Paris,  1825. 


118  AMERICA  A:ND  HER  COMMENTATORS. 

reported  his  impressions  with  characteristic  latitude  and  sen 
timent.  The  scene  of  his  best  romance  is  laid  in  one  of  the 
Southern  States ;  but  the  description  of  nature  and  percep 
tion  of  Indian  character  are  far  removed  from  scientific  pre 
cision.  Yet  over  all  that  Chateaubriand  wrote,  however 
warped  by  egotism  or  rendered  melodramatic  by  exaggera 
tion,  there  breathes  an  atmosphere  of  sentiment,  whereby  a 
certain  humanity  and  eloquence  make  significant  what  would 
otherwise  often  seem  unreal  and  meretricious.  He  loved 
nature^  and,  by  virtue  of  a  vivid  imagination  and  intense 
consciousness,  connected  all  he  saw  with  his  own  life  and 
thought.  His  visit  to  our  shores  forms  an  interesting  episode 
in  his  "  Memoires  d'outre  Tombe."  After  crossing  the  At 
lantic,  he  was  becalmed  off  the  shores  of  Maryland  and  Vir 
ginia,  and  had  leisure  to  appreciate  the  beautiful  skies ; 
imprudently  bathed  in  waters  infested  with  sharks ;  trav 
ersed  woods  of  balsam  trees  and  cedars,  where  he  observed 
with  infinite  pleasure  the  cardinal  and  mocking  birds,  the 
gray  squirrels,  and  a  "  negro  girl  of  extraordinary  beauty." 
The  contrast  between  these  wild  charms  and  the  cities  was 
most  uncongenial  to  the  poetical  emigrL  He  "  felt  the  archi 
tectural  deformity"  of  the  latter,  and  declares,  sadly,  that 
"  nothing  is  old  in  America  excepting  the  woods."  But  his 
chief  disappointment  consisted  in  the  discovery  that  the 
modes  of  life  and  tone  of  manners  were  so  far  removed 
from  what  he  had  fondly  imagined  of  the  ideal  republic. 
"A  man,"  he  writes  in  1791,  "landing,  like  myself,  in  the 
United  States,  full  of  enthusiasm  for  the  ancients — a  Cato, 
seeking,  wherever  he  goes,  the  austerity  of  the  primitive 
manners  of  Rome— must  be  exceedingly  scandalized  to  find 
everywhere  elegance  in  dress,  luxury  in  equipages,  frivolity 
in  conversation,  inequality  of  fortunes,  the  immorality  of 
gaming  houses,  and  the  noise  of  balls  and  theatres.  In 
Philadelphia  I  could  have  fancied  myself  in  an  English  town. 
There  was  nothing  to  indicate  that  I  had  passed  from  a  mon 
archy  to  a  republic."  Reasoning  from  historical  facts  and 
analogy,  one  would  imagine  that  a  foreign  visitor  could  only 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  119 

expect  to  find  Anglo-Saxon  traits,  local  and  social,  in  those 
American  communities  directly  founded  by  English  emi 
grants.  Yet  Dickens  expressed  the  same  disappointment  in 
Boston,  at  the  similarity  of  the  place  and  people  to  what  was 
familiar  to  him  at  home,  that  Chateaubriand  confesses,  half 
a  century  previous,  in  the  city  of  Brotherly  Lo\7e.  The 
allusion  to  Roman  names  and  manners,  so  common  with 
French  writers  in  their  political  criticisms,  would  strike  us 
as  extremely  artificial,  were  it  not  that  the  drama  and  the 
academic  talk  in  France,  at  that  time,  continually  adopted 
the  characters  and  history  of  Greece  and  Rome  as  the  stand 
ard  and  nomenclature  of  an  era  in  every  respect  essentially 
different — a  pedantic  tendency  akin  to  the  Arcadian  terms 
and  tastes  which  so  long  formalized  the  degenerate  muse  in 
Italy.  It  is  not,  indeed,  surprising  that  the  republican  enthu 
siasts  of  the  Old  World  should  have  been  disenchanted  in 
the  New,  when  they  found  what  is  called  "  society "  but  a 
tame  reflection  of  that  from  which  they  had  fled  as  the 
result  of  an  effete  civilization.  But  the  complaint  was  as 
unreasonable  as  unjust ;  for,  in  all  large  and  prosperous  com 
munities,  an  identical  social,  conventional  system  prevails. 
In  America,  however,  this  sphere  was  very  limited,  and,  at 
the  dawn  of  the  republic,  embraced  remarkable  exceptions 
to  the  usual  hollowness  and  vapid  display ;  while,  in  the  vast 
domain  beyond,  the  rights,  the  abilities,  and  the  self-respect 
of  human  beings  found  an  expression  and  a  scope  which, 
however  different  from  Roman  development,  and  however 
unsatisfactory  to  a  modern  Cato,  offered  a  most  refreshing 
contrast  to  and  auspicious  innovation  upon  the  crushing, 
hopeless  routine  of  European  feudalism.  The  political  dis 
appointment  of  the  author  of  Atala  induced  him  to  write 
against  the  Quakers.  He  found  Washington  was  "not  Cin- 
cinnatus,  for  he  passed  in  a  coach  and  four ; "  but  wThen  he 
called  on  the  President  with  a  letter  of  introduction,  he 
recognized  in  his  surroundings  "  the  simplicity  of  an  old 
Roman — no  guards,  not  even  a  footman."  Chateaubriand's 
object  was  to  promote  an  expedition,  set  on  foot  in  his  own 


120  AMERICA  AND  HEK   COMMENTATORS. 

country,  for  the  discovery  of  the  long-sought  and  much- 
desired  "  Northwest  Passage."  It  appears  that  Washington 
rather  discouraged  the  enterprise ;  upon  which  the  compli 
mentary  instinct  was  aroused  in  his  guest,  who,  with  the 
usual  misapprehension  of  foreigners  as  to  the  character  of 
our  Revolution,  and  of  our  matchless  chief's  relation  thereto, 
replied,  "  It  is  less  difficult  to  discover  the  Northwest  Passage 
than  to  create  a  nation,  as  you  have  done."  And  w^e  can 
easily  imagine  the  amused  and  urbane  "  Well,  well,  young 
man,"  with  which  Washington  dismissed  the  subject.  He 
showed  Chateaubriand  the  key  of  the  Bastile.  In  describing 
their  interview,  the  French  author  compares  him  with  Bona 
parte  ;  and,  in  allusion  to  his  own  feelings  on  the  memorable 
occasion,  significantly  declares,  "  I  was  not  agitated."  A 
startling  experience  in  his  subsequent  journey,  was  encounter 
ing,  in  the  wilderness  of  New  York  State,  a  dancing  master 
of  his  country  teaching  the  Iroquois  to  caper  scientifically. 
Indeed,  the  great  pleasure  derived  from  his  visit  was  that 
afforded  by  the  salient  contrast  of  a  nascent  civilization  with 
the  wild  beauty  of  nature.  He  was  awestruck  wThen,  in  the 
heart  of  the  lonely  woods,  the  distant  roar  of  Niagara 
struck  his  ear ;  and  few  have  approached  that  shrine  of  won 
der  and  grace  with  more  reverence  and  delight.  The  great 
lakes  of  the  interior,  the  coast  fisheries,  the  isolated  sugar 
camp  in  the  maple  groves,  and  the  aspect,  rites,  and  traits  of 
the  aboriginal  tribes,  excited  the  earnest  curiosity  and  grati 
fied  the  adventurous  sentiment  which  afterward  found  such 
copious  inspiration  in  a  pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem,  a  sojourn  in 
Rome,  exile  in  England,  and  a  conservative  and  pathetic  plea 
for  outraged  Christianity  in  his  native  land.  "It  is  impos 
sible,"  he  writes,  "  to  conceive  the  feelings  and  the  delight 
experienced  on  seeing  the  spire  of  a  new  steeple  rising  from 
the  bosom  of  an  ancient  American  forest." 

The  transition  from  the  political  essayist  to  the  natural 
historian  is  refreshing.  The  zest  with  which  Michaux  de 
scribes  some  of  the  arborescent  wonders  of  the  West  is  as 
pleasant  as  his  intelligent  discussion  of  economical  facts  and 


FEENCH   TEAVELLEES   AND   WEITEES.  121 

Puritan  domesticity  in  the  East.  Dr.  Michaux,  in  the  year 
1802,  visited  the  country  westward  of  the  Alleghanies  and 
the  Carolinas,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Minister  of  the  Inte 
rior.  He  found  delightful  companions  in  the  trees,  and 
charming  hospitality  among  the  flowers ;  and,  contrasting 
the  vegetation  of  the  Southern  with  that  of  the  Western 
States,  gave  to  his  countrymen  a  correct  and  impressive  idea 
of  the  products  and  promise  of  the  New  World,  as  an  arena 
for  botanical  investigation,  and  a  home  for  the  enterprising 
and  unfortunate.*  He  describes  new  species  of  rhododen 
dron  and  azalea ;  expatiates  on  the  varieties  of  oak  and  wal 
nut  ;  gives  statistics  of  size,  grouping,  and  diversities  in  the 
native  forests ;  points  out  indigenous  medicinal  and  floral 
products,  and  discourses  genially  of  the  cones  of  the  mag 
nolia,  the  fish  and  shells  of  the  Ohio,  the  salt  licks  of  Ken 
tucky,  and  bear  hunting  in  the  Alleghanies.  In  a  word,  his 
brief  and  discursive  journal  illustrates  that  delightful  series 
of  Travels,  whose  inspiration  is  the  love  of  nature,  and  whose 
object  is  the  exposition  of  her  laws  and  productions,  with 
which  Nuttall,  Wilson,  Audubon,  Lyell,  and  Agassiz  have  so 
enriched  scientific  literature  on  this  continent.  And  while  it 
is  interesting  to  compare  the  more  copious  and  special  narra 
tives  of  these  endeared  writers  with  that  of  Michaux,  and 
realize  the  advancement  of  knowledge  and  scientific  zeal 
since  he  wrote,  it  is  no  less  cheering  to  witness  the  social 
progress  of  the  West — especially  the  effects  of  the  temper 
ance  reform  and  the  success  of  the  grape  culture — and  revert 
therefrom  to  the  earnest  protest  of  this  amiable  writer,  who, 
as  a  Frenchman  and  a  naturalist,  was  revolted  at  the  perver 
sion  of  nature's  best  gifts  which  the  current  habits  of  the 
population  evinced.  "  The  taverns,  and  especially  that  in 
which  we  lodged,"  writes  Michaux  of  the  valley  of  the  Ohio, 
fifty  years  ago,  "  were  filled  with  drunkards,  who  made  a 
frightful  uproar,  and  yielded  to  excesses  so  horrible  as  to  be 

*  "  Travels  to  the  Westward  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains  in  Ohio,  Ken 
tucky  and  Tennessee,"  &c.,  by  Dr.  F.  A.  Michaux,  translated  by  Lambert, 
8vo.,  1805. 
6 


122  AMEKICA  AND   HER  COHHENTATOES . 

scarcely  conceived.  The  rooms,  the  stairs,  the  yard  were 
covered  with  men  dead  drunk ;  and  those  who  were  still  able 
to  get  their  teeth  separated,  uttered  only  the  accents  of  fury 
and  rage.  An  inordinate  desire  for  spirituous  liquors  is  one 
of  the  characteristics  of  the  country  in  the  interior  of  the 
United  States.  This  passion  is  so  powerful,  that  they  quit 
their  habitations,  from  time  to  time,  to  go  and  get  drunk  at 
the  taverns.  They  do  not  relish  cider,  which  they  think  too 
mild.  Their  distaste  for  this  salutary  and  agreeable  beverage 
is  the  more  extraordinary,  since  they  might  easily  procure  it 
at  little  expense,  for  apple  trees  of  every  kind  succeed  won 
derfully  in  this  country."  It  has  been  charged  against 
Michaux,  that  he  accepted  a  commission  from  Genet  to  raise 
troops  in  Kentucky  and  Louisiana. 

Among  the  political  refugees  who  found  safety  and  com 
fort  in  the  United  States  after  the  fall  of  Napoleon,  were 
two  sons  of  the  dashing  and  brave  but  superficial  and  unfor 
tunate  Murat.  One  dwelt  many  years  in.  New  Jersey,  where 
Joseph  Bonaparte,  with  benign  philosophy,  enjojed  the  ele 
gant  seclusion  of  a  private  gentleman  so  much  more  than  he 
had  the  cares  and  honors  of  royalty ;  and,  among  the  extra 
ordinary  vicissitudes  that  mark  the  history  of  individuals 
associated  with  European  politics  in  our  day,  the  marvellous 
restoration  of  Murat  to  fortune  in  France,  under  the  imperial 
success  of  Louis  Napoleon,  is  to  the  people  of  that  little 
town  in  New  Jersey  "  stranger  than  fiction  ; "  for  the  refugee 
was  a  boon  companion  and  needy  adventurer  among  them; 
for  years  supported  by  his  accomplished  wife  and  daughter, 
who  kept  a  most  creditable  school,  and  maintained  their  self- 
respect  with  dignity  and  tact.  The  other  brother,  Achille, 
found  a  home  and  a  wife,  with  slaves  and  a  plantation,  near 
Tallahassee,  Fla.,  and  seems  to  have  enjoyed  his  adopted  coun 
try  with  the  zest  of  a  sportsman  and  the  adventurous  spirit 
of  his  race,  and  easily  to  have  reconciled  himself  to  the  in 
congruities  of  such  a  lot.  Nine  years  of  residence  made  him 
familiar  with  the  country ;  and,  when  an  honorary  colonel  in 
the  Belgian  army,  he  presented  to  a  comrade  the  manuscript 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  123 

wherein,  to  inform  a  friend  in  Europe,  he  had  written  at 
length  his  impressions  and  convictions  in  regard  to  the 
United  States.  After  his  death,  it  was  translated  and  pub 
lished  in  this  country.*  The  distinction  of  the  work  is,  that 
it  is  written  by  a  foreigner  whose  experience  of  the  country 
and  whose  sympathies  are  almost  as  exclusively  Southern,  as 
if  he  was  a  bigoted  native  instead  of  a  stranger  in  the  land. 
He  considers  agriculture  the  primal  and  pervasive  interest ; 
he  advocates  slavery  both  on  practical  and  metaphysical 
grounds ;  he  considers  Charleston,  S.  C.,  the  centre  of  all 
that  is  polished  and  superior  in  American  society ;  he  shares 
and  repeats  the  obsolete  prejudices  about  "  Yankees," 
founded  upon  the  days  of  blue  laws  and  peddling ;  he 
prophesies  the  political  ascendency  of  the  Southern  States, 
and  deems  the  "  spirit  of  calculation "  elsewhere  "  marvel 
lously  connected  with  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath."  Yet 
he  is  enthusiastic  in  his  admiration  of  and  firm  in  his  trust  in 
the  "principles  of  liberty"  and  the  system  of  government. 
He  is  proud  and  happy  in  his  American  citizenship,  grateful 
for  the  prosperous  home  and  independent  life  here  enjoyed, 
and  throughout  his  observations  there  is  a  singular  combi 
nation  of  the  political  enthusiast  and  the  man  of  the  world, 
the  mllitaire  and  the  advocate,  the  lover  of  pleasure  and  the 
devotee  of  freedom.  There  is  little  said  about  the  beauties  of 
nature,  few  criticisms  on  manners ;  but  the  processes  whereby 
the  Indians  are  dispossessed,  the  forest  occupied,  the  hunter 
superseded  by  the  squatter,  the  latter  by  the  settler,  and  the 
Territory  made  a  State,  are  given  with  the  details  only  obtain 
able  through  long  personal  observation.  One  chapter  is 
devoted  to  the  history  of  parties  ;  another  to  the  administra 
tion  of  justice ;  one  to  religion,  and  one  to  finance.  Our 
national  means  of  defence,  the  Indians,  and  the  new  settle 
ments  are  described  and  discussed ;  and  thus  a  large  amount 

*  Murat's  (Achille)  "  Moral  and  Political  Sketch  of  the  United  States  of 
.America,"  8vo.,  London,  1833. 

"  America    and   the   Americans,"    by   the  late    Achille    Murat,    New 
York,  1849. 


124:  AMERICA  AND   HER  COMMENTATORS. 

of  correct  and  valuable  information  is  given.  But  it  is  evi 
dent  the  writer  is  acquainted  intimately  with  only  one  sec 
tion  of  the  country  ;  that  the  new,  and  not  the  old  communi 
ties,  have  been  the  chief  scene  of  his  observation ;  and, 
while  there  is  much  both  fair  and  fresh  in  his  comments,  they 
refer  in  no  small  degree  to  local  and  temporary  facts.  Murat 
writes,  however,  with  acute  and  sympathetic  intelligence,  from 
a  material  point  of  view ;  and  it  is  interesting  to  contrast 
his  speculations  of  thirty-seven  years  ago  with  the  events  of 
the  hour.  "The  English  minister,"  he  writes  in  1827, 
"  wishing  to  stop  emigration  to  the  United  States,  descended 
so  far  as  to  induce  mercenary  writers  to  travel,  and  promul 
gate,  through  the  press,  false  statements  against  our  people 
and  Government.  In  all  these  works,  which  had  an  extensive 
circulation  with  John  Bull,  and  thereby  influenced  his  mind, 
the  subject  of  slavery  has  been  the  avowed  and  principal 
topic."  On  which  subject  he  thus  argues  :  "  A  man  meets  a 
lion,  and  has  the  indubitable  right  to  appropriate  the  skin  of 
the  animal  to  his  own  particular  purpose  ;  while,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  lion  has  an  equal  right  to  the  flesh  of  the  man. 
The  difference  is,  one  defends  his  skin,  the  other  his  flesh ; 
hence  it  follows  that  the  spontaneous  objection  in  each  be 
comes  an  obstacle  to  the  other,  and  which  either  has  the 
right  to  destroy.  By  an  individual  right  we  are  by  no  means 
to  understand  a  natural  right.  A  man  has  undoubtedly  no 
claim  to  the  possession  of  another  man  in  relation  to  that 
man,  but  possesses  this  claim  in  relation  to  society.  If  I 
mistake  not,  public  opinion  in  the  Southern  States  is,  that 
slavery  is  necessary,  but  an  evil.  I,  however,  am  far  from 
considering  the  question  in  this  point  of  view.  On  the  con 
trary,  I  am  led  to  consider  it,  in  certain  periods  of  the  his 
tory  or  existence  of  nations,  as  a  good." 

His  pro-slavery  argument,  when  at  all  original,  is  undis 
guised  sophistry,  and  compares  absurdly  with  his  recogni 
tion  of  the  principles  of  civil  liberty  and  self-government; 
while  no  foreigner  has  more  cordially  entered  into  the  re 
deeming  spirit  of  individual  self-reliance  and  a  controlling 


FRENCH  TRAVELLERS  AND  WRITERS.  125 

public  opinion,  as  means  and  methods  of  social  progress  and 
safety.  The  plan  and  scope  of  the  work  are  such  as  to  render 
it  useful  arid  interesting  to  educated  Europeans  who  contem 
plate  emigration.  Its  economical  details  and  political  philoso 
phy  are  comparatively  unauthoritative  now,  facilities  of 
travel  and  more  comprehensive  and  elevated  criticism  hav 
ing  made  the  questions  and  facts  clear  and  familiar.  The 
"  America  and  Americans  "  of  Achille  Murat  is,  therefore,  a 
work  more  interesting  from  the  circumstances  and  history  of 
its  author,  than  from  its  intrinsic  novelty  or  value. 

In  that  ingenious  work  wherein  the  rationale  of  luxury 
is  so  genially  expounded — the  "  Physiologic  du  Gout " — there 
is  an  episode,  wherein  the  same  kindly  and  cordial  estimate 
of  republican  manners  and  economy  characteristic  of  French 
travellers  in  America, — is  naively  apparent.  The  author, 
though  chiefly  known  by  a  work  which  associates  his  name 
with  the  pleasures  of  the  table,  was,  in  fact,  a  philosopher 
whose  cast  of  mind  was  judicial  rather  than  fanciful ;  and 
who,  in  his  most  popular  book,  under  the  guise  of  epicurean 
zest,  grapples  with  and  illustrates  profound  truths.  An  inde 
fatigable  student,  a  keen  sportsman,  and  a  conscientious  offi 
cial,  Brillat-Savarin,  from  the  moment  his  early  education  was 
completed,  filled  important  situations,  such  as  deputy,  mayor, 
president  of  the  civil  tribunals,  and  judge  of  the  bureau  of 
cassation,  in  his  native  province  ;  with  the  exception  of  three 
years  of  exile  during  the  Revolution,  which  he  passed  in  this 
country,  and  chiefly  in  New  York,  gaining  a  subsistence  by 
teaching  his  native  language  and  regulating  a  theatrical 
orchestra.  He  alludes  to  his  sojourn  as  an  era  of  pleasant 
experiences.  He  made  numerous  friends  in  America,  and 
attributes  this  to  his  facility  in  adopting  the  habits  and  man 
ners  of  the  country,  and  his  knowledge  of  the  language ; 
although  his  quotations  are  often  amusingly  incorrect.  A 
scholar,  musician,  man  of  the  world,  and  jurist,  his  culture  and 
his  endowments  were  such  as  to  make  him  an  appreciative 
observer  of  life  and  institutions  here ;  for  he  united  rare 
powers  of  observation  and  reflection  with  adequate  sensibil- 


126  AMERICA  AND  HER  COMMENTATORS. 

ity  to  the  beautiful  and  the  true.  He  was  so  tall,  that  his 
brother  judges  called  him  the  drum  major  of  the  court  of 
cassation.  He  was  an  habitue  of  Madame  Recamier's 
charming  salon.  Balzac  expressed  the  opinion  that  no 
writer,  except  La  Bruyere  and  La  Rochefoucauld,  ever  gave 
to  French  phrases  such  vigorous  relief.  Since  the  death  of 
Brillat-Savarin,  science  has  thrown  new  light  upon  many  sub 
jects  connected  with  those  so  agreeably  discussed  in  the 
"  Physiologic  du  Gout ; "  still  the  scope  and  style  of  the 
work  give  it  prominence.  The  application  of  science  to  gas 
tronomy,  of  taste  and  wisdom  to  the  art  of  human  nutrition, 
was  thus  initiated  in  a  most  attractive  manner,  and  the  inci 
dental  relations  of  the  subject  shown  to  be  identical  with  the 
best  interests  of  society.  The  author  varies  his  disquisition 
by  logical,  anecdotical,  and  eloquent  alternations.  His  per 
sonal  experience  is  often  made  to  illustrate  his  speculative 
opinions.  In  the  chapter  devoted  to  "  Coq  d'Inde,"  or  "  Din- 
don,"  after  describing  the  turkey  as  the  most  beautiful  gift 
which  the  New  World  has  made  to  the  Old,  treating  as  para 
doxical  the  tradition  that  it  was  known  to  the  ancients,  de 
scribing  its  introduction  to  Europe  by  the  Jesuits,  discussing 
its  natural  history,  its  financial  importance,  and  its  gastro 
nomic  value,  he  thus  describes  an  exploit  du  professeur : 

"  During  my  residence  at  Hartford,  in  Connecticut,  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  shooting  a  wild  turkey.  This  exploit  deserves  to  be 
transmitted  to  posterity,  and  I  record  it  with  the  more  complaisance, 
inasmuch  as  I  was  the  hero.  A  venerable  American  farmer  had  in 
vited  me  to  sport  on  his  domain  ;  he  lived  near  the  least-settled  por 
tion  of  the  State  ;  he  promised  me  excellent  game,  and  authorized  me 
to  bring  a  friend.  Mr.  King,  my  companion,  was  a  remarkable 
sportsman ;  he  was  passionately  fond  of  the  exercise,  but,  after  hav 
ing  killed  his  bird,  he  regarded  himself  as  a  murderer,  and  made  tbe 
victim's  fate  the  subject  of  moral  reflections  and  interminable  elegies. 
On  a  beautiful  morning  in  October,  1794,  we  left  Hartford  on  hired 
horses,  hoping  to  reach  our  destination,  five  mortal  leagues  distant, 
before  the  evening.  Although  the  route  was  scarcely  indicated  by 
travel,  we  arrived  without  accident,  and  were  received  with  that 
cordial  and  unpretending  hospitality  which  is  expressed  in  actions 
rather  than  words :  in  short,  we  were  immediately  made  to  feel 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND    WRITERS.  127 

comfortable  and  at  home — men,  horses,  and  dogs — according  to  their 
respective  wants  and  convenience.  Two  hours  were  spent  in  exam 
ining  the  farm  and  its  dependencies ;  I  would  describe  all  this  in  de 
tail,  but  I  prefer  to  introduce  to  the  reader  the  four  beautiful  daugh 
ters  of  Monsieur  Bulow,  to  whom  our  visit  was  an  important  incident. 
Their  ages  ranged  from  sixteen  to  twenty ;  they  were  radiant  with 
the  freshness  of  health,  and  they  possessed  that  simplicity,  ease,  and 
frankness  which  the  most  common  actions  develop  into  a  thousand 
charms.  Soon  after  our  return  from  the  walk,  we  were  seated  at  a 
table  abundantly  provided ; — a  superb  piece  of  corned  beef,  a  fine  stew, 
a  magnificent  leg  of  mutton,  plenty  of  vegetables,  and,  at  each  end 
of  the  table,  enormous  jars  of  excellent  cider,  with  which  I  could  not 
be  satiated.  When  we  had  proved  to  our  host  that  we  were  genuine 
sportsmen,  at  least  in  regard  to  appetite,  the  conversation  turned  upon 
the  object  of  our  visit.  He  pointed  out  the  best  places  for  game,  the 
landmarks  whereby  we  could  find  our  way  back,  and  the  farmhouses 
at  which  we  could  procure  refreshments.  During  this  discussion  the 
ladies  had  prepared  some  excellent  tea,  of  which  we  drank  several 
cups ;  after  which,  ascending  to  a  double-bedded  room,  we  enjoyed 
the  delicious  sleep  induced  by  exercise  and  good  cheer.  The  next 
morning,  after  partaking  of  refreshment  ordered  to  be  in  readiness  by 
Monsieur  Bulow,  we  started  for  a  day's  sport,  and  I  found  myself,  for 
the  first  time,  in  a  virgin  forest.  I  wandered  there  with  delight,  ob 
serving  the  effects  of  time,  both  productive  and  destructive;  and 
amused  myself  by  following  the  different  periods  in  the  life  of  an 
oak,  from  the  moment  it  breaks  through  the  mould  with  two  little 
leaves,  until  all  that  remains  of  it  is  a  long  black  trace — the  dust  of 
its  heart.  Mr.  King  reproached  me  for  these  abstract  musings  ;  and 
we  began  the  sport  in  earnest ;  shooting  numerous  small  but  fat  and 
tender  partridges  :  we  bagged  six  or  seven  gray  squirrels,  which  are 
much  esteemed  here ;  and,  at  last,  my  happy  star  brought  us  into  the 
midst  of  a  flock  of  wild  turkeys.-  They  followed,  at  short  intervals, 
one  after  the  other,  with  rapid,  brief  flights,  and  uttering  loud  cries. 
Mr.  King  shot  first,  and  ran  on ;  most  of  the  flock  were  soon  out  of 
range,  but  the  largest  bird  rose  ten  paces  before  me  ;  I  fired  instantly, 
and  he  fell  dead.  One  must  be  a  sportsman  to  conceive  the  delight 
which  this  beautiful  shot  occasioned  me.  I  seized  the  superb  fowl, 
and  a  quarter  of  an  hour  afterward  heard  Mr.  King  calling  for  aid ; 
hastening  toward  him,  I  found  that  the  assistance  he  craved  was 
help  in  finding  a  turkey  which  he  pretended  to  have  shot,  but  which 
had  mysteriously  disappeared.  I  put  my  dog  on  the  trace  ;  but  he 
only  led  us  among  thickets  and  brambles,  which  a  man  could  hardly 
penetrate  ;  it  was  necessary  to  abandon  the  pursuit,  which  my  com 
panion  did  in  a  fit  of  ill  humor  that  lasted  all  the  rest  of  the  day. 


128  AMERICA  AND   HEK   COMMENT ATOES. 

The  remainder  of  our  sport  does  not  merit  description.  In  returning, 
we  became  confused  in  the  woods,  and  ran  no  small  risk  of  passing 
the  night  there ;  but  the  silvery  voices  of  the  ladies  Bulow  and  the 
shouts  of  their  father,  who  had  the  kindness  to  seek  us,  guided  us 
back.  The  four  sisters  were  in  full  dress  :  fresh  robes,  new  girdles, 
beautiful  bonnets,  and  bright  shoes,  proclaimed  that  they  had  made 
a  toilette  in  our  honor ;  and  I  had,  on  my  side,  equal  intention  to 
make  myself  agreeable  to  these  ladies,  one  of  whom  accepted  my  arm 
with  as  much  candor  and  propriety  as  if  she  had  been  my  wife.  On 
reaching  the  house  we  found  a  supper  already  served ;  but,  before 
partaking  of  it,  we  seated  ourselves  an  instant  near  a  bright  fire, 
which  had  been  kindled,  although  the  weather  did  not  make  it  indis 
pensable  ;  we  found  it,  however,  most  welcome.  This  custom  is, 
doubtless,  adopted  from  the  aborigines,  who  always  have  a  fire  on 
their  hearth ;  perhaps  thence  came  the  tradition  of  Francis  de  Sales, 
who  said  a  fire  was  desirable  twelve  months  in  the  year.  We  ate  as 
if  half  famished,  and  finished  the  evening  with  an  enormous  bowl  of 
punch  ;  and  a  conversation,  wherein  our  host  was  more  free  than  the 
previous  evening,  occupied  us  far  into  the  night.  We  talked  of  the 
War  of  Independence,  in  which  Monsieur  Bulow  had  served  as  a  supe 
rior  officer ;  of  La  Fayette,  who  grows  continually  in  the  grateful 
appreciation  of  the  Americans,  and  whom  they  always  designate  by 
his  title — the  Marquis  ;  of  agriculture,  which  then  was  enriching  the 
United  States,  and  finally  of  that  dear  France  which  I  love  all  the 
more  since  I  was  obliged  to  quit  her  shores.  To  vary  the  conversa 
tion,  M.  Bulow,  from  time  to  time,  said  to  his  oldest  daughter : 
'Maria,  give  us  a  song ; '  and  she  sang,  without  being  urged,  and  with 
an  embarrassment  that  was  charming1,  the  national  song,  the  com 
plaint  of  Queen  Mary,  and  trial  of  Major  Andre,  which  are  very  pop 
ular  in  this  country.  Maria  had  taken  a  few  lessons,  and,  in  this 
isolated  region,  passed  for  an  adept ;  but  her  singing  derived  all  its 
merit  from  the  quality  of  her  voice,  at  once  sweet,  fresh,  and  em 
phatic.  The  next  day  we  left,  notwithstanding  the  most  friendly  re 
monstrances  ;  for  I  had  indispensable  duties  to  fulfil.  While  the 
horses  were  preparing,  Monsieur  Bulow  took  me  aside  and  said,  '  You 
See  in  me,  my  dear  sir,  a  happy  man,  if  there  is  one  on  earth  :  all  that 
you  see  around  and  within  is  mine.  These  stockings  my  daughters  knit ; 
my  shoes  and  garments  are  provided  by  my  flocks  and  herds ;  they 
contribute,  also,  with  my  garden  and  fields,  to  furnish  a  simple  and 
substantial  nourishment ;  and,  what  is  the  best  eulogy  upon  our  Gov 
ernment,  is  the  fact,  that  thousands  of  Connecticut  farmers  are  not 
less  content  than  myself;  whose  doors,  too,  like  my  own,  are  with 
out  locks.  The  taxes  here  are  not  large  ;  and,  when  they  are  paid, 
we  can  sleep  in  peace.  Congress  favors  our  industry  with  all  its 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS    AND   WRITERS.  129  * 

power ;  manufacturers  are  eager  to  take  whatever  surplus  produce 
we  have  to  sell ;  and  I  have  money  laid  up,  and  am  about  to  dispose 
of  grain  at  twenty-four  dollars  a  ton,  which  usually  sells  for  eight. 
All  this  comes  from  the  liberty  we  have  conquered  and  founded  upon 
good  laws.  I  am  master  in  my  own  domain ;  and  it  will  surprise  you 
to  know  that  I  never  hear  the  sound  of  a  drum,  except  on  the  Fourth 
of  July,  the  glorious  anniversary  of  our  independence,  and  never  see 
uniforms,  soldiers,  or  bayonets.'  During  the  whole  period  of  return 
I  was  absorbed  in  profound  reflections ;  and  you  may  well  believe  that 
these  last  words  of  Monsieur  Bulow  occupied  my  mind.  At  last  I  had 
another  subject  of  meditation :  I  thought  how  it  was  best  to  have 
my  turkey  cooked  and  served.  I  was  not  without  perplexity,  as  I 
feared  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  at  Hartford  all  the  requisite  means; 
for  I  wished  to  dispose  of  my  trophy  in  the  most  effective  and  bril 
liant  manner.  I  make  a  painful  sacrifice  in  suppressing  the  details  of 
profound  study — the  aim  whereof  was  to  treat  in  a  distinguished  man 
ner  the  American  guests  whom  I  had  engaged  for  the  banquet.  Suf 
fice  it  to  say  that  the  wings  of  the  partridges  were  served  aupapil- 
lote,  and  the  gray  squirrels  cour  bouillonnes  au  vin  de  Madere.  As  to 
the  turkey,  which  constituted  our  only  plate  of  roast,  it  was  charm 
ing  to  behold,  fragrant  to  inhale,  and  delicious  to  the  taste:  so  much 
so  that,  until  the  last  morsel  had  disappeared,  we  heard  from  all  sides 
of  the  table  the  exclamations :  Tres-l>on,  extremement  ~bon  I  0,  mon 
cher  monsieur,  quel  glorieux  morceau  I  " 

From  a  region  of  vast  promise,  the  United  States  had 
become  one  of  accomplished  destiny,  so  far  as  the  establish 
ment  of  a  novel  and  extensive  free  government  is  concerned  ; 
and  the  results,  economical,  political,  and  social,  in  full  de 
velopment.  Accordingly,  the  exploration  of  the  agriculturist 
and  manufacturer,  the  comments  of  the  practical  emigrant, 
and  the  social  gossip,  began  to  give  way  to  the  speculations 
of  the  philosopher ;  science  investigated  what  curiosity  had 
originally  observed  ;  and  our  country  won  the  earnest  thought 
of  the  humanitarian  analyst,  intent  upon  tracing  laws  of  civil 
life  and  popular  growth  under  the  extraordinary  physical, 
moral,  and  social  influences  of  the  New  World.  A  young 
Frenchman  who  came  to  America  as  commissioner,  to  report 
upon  our  system  of  prison  discipline,  in  1830,  subsequently 
published  a  work  on  the  United  States  quite  different  in  scope 
and  aim  from  those  we  have  before  noted.  Whatever  may  be 
6* 


130  AMERICA   AND   HEK   COMMENTATORS. 

thought  of  Alexis  de  Tosqueville's  views  of  "  Democracy  in 
America,"  that  treatise  began  a  new  era  in  the  literature  of 
American  travel.*  It  seriously  grasped  the  problems  of  human 
life,  destiny,  and  progress  involved  in  an  Anglo-Saxon  repub 
lic  on  the  immense  scale  of  these  United  States.  The  pecu 
liar  claim  and  character  of  De  Tocqueville's  work  is,  that, 
ignoring,  in  a  great  measure,  the  superficial  aspects  and  casual 
traits  of  the  country  and  people,  he  has  patiently  and  pro 
foundly  examined  and  reported  the  elementary  civic  life 
thereof,  with  a  view  to  ascertain  and  demonstrate  absolute 
political  and  social  truth.  A  brief  analysis,  or  even  a  run 
ning  commentary  on  such  a  treatise,  would  do  it  no  justice ; 
and  a  more  elaborate  discussion  is  inconsistent  with  the  limits 
of  a  volume  like  this.  The  necessity  for  either  course  is 
obviated  by  the  fact  that  De  Tocqueville's  work  is  so  familiar 
to  all  thinkers,  and  so  accessible  to  all  readers.  To  indicate 
the  scope  and  motives  of  the  author,  we  have  but  to  recur 
to  his  own  introductory  statement : 

"  It  is  not  merely  to  satisfy  a  legitimate  curiosity  that  'I 
have  examined  America.  My  wish  has  been  to  find  instruc 
tion  by  which  we  may  ourselves  profit.  Whoever  should 
imagine  that  I  have  intended  to  write  a  panegyric,  would  be 
strangely  mistaken,  and,  on  reading  this  work,  he  will  per 
ceive  that  such  is  not  my  design.  Nor  has  it  been  my  object 
to  advocate  any  form  of  government  in  particular  ;  for  I  am 
of  opinion  that  absolute  excellence  is  rarely  to  be  found  in 
any  legislation.  I  have  not  even  affected  to  discuss  whether 
the  social  revolution,  which  I  believe  to  be  irresistible,  is  ad 
vantageous  or  prejudicial  to  mankind.  I  have  acknowledged 
this  revolution  as  a  fact  already  accomplished,  or  on  the  eve 
of  accomplishment ;  and  I  have  selected  the  nation  from 

*  "  De  la  Democratic  en  Amerique,"  par  A.  de  Tocqueville,  4  vols.,  8vo., 
Paris,  1835-'41. 

De  Tocqueville's  "  Democracy  in  America,"  translated  by  Henry  Keeve, 
Esq. ;  edited,  with  notes,  the  translation  revised  and  in  great  part  rewritten, 
and  the  additions  made  to  the  recent  Paris  editions  now  first  translated,  by 
Francis  Bowen,  Alford  Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy  in  Harvard  University  ; 
2  vols.,  post  8vo. 


FRENCH   TEAVELLEES   AND   WEITEES.  131 

among  those  who  have  undergone  it,  in  which  its  develop 
ment  has  been  the  most  peaceful  and  the  most  complete,  in 
order  to  discern  its  natural  consequences,  and,  if  it  be  pos 
sible,  to  distinguish  the  means  by  which  it  may  be  rendered 
profitable.  I  confess  that  in  America  I  saw  more  than 
America ;  I  sought  the  image  of  democracy  itself,  with  its 
inclinations,  its  character,  its  prejudices,  and  its  passions,  in 
order  to  learn  what  we  have  to  fear  or  to  hope  from  its 
progress." 

Thus  it  is  universal  principles,  and  not  special  traits,  that 
M.  de  Tocqueville  discusses.  It  is  because  of  the  identity  of 
American  development  with  human  destiny,  and  not  as  a 
fragmentary  phenomenon  and  a  peculiar  nationality,  that  he 
deemed  it  worthy  of  his  conscientious  study.  In  the  first 
part  of  his  work,  he  shows  "  the  tendency  given  to  the  laws 
by  the  democracy  of  America ; "  in  the  second,  "  the  influ 
ence  which  the  equality  of  conditions  and  the  rule  of  democ 
racy  exercise  on  civil  society."  The  mere  mention  of  such 
texts  indicates  at  once  the  vastly  superior  aim  and  higher 
motives  of  De  Tocqueville,  when  compared  with  so  many  other 
commentators  on  America.  Not  as  a  social  critic,  a  natural 
ist,  a  complacent  vagabond,  a  pedantic  raconteur,  or  a  viva 
cious  gossip,  but  as  a  humane  philosopher,  does  he  approach 
the  problem  of  American  life,  institutions,  and  destiny. 
Hence  the  permanent  value  and  present  significance  of  his 
work,  than  which  no  abstract  political  treatise  was  ever  so 
frequently  quoted  and  referred  to  in  the  current  discussions 
of  the  hour.  The  prophetic  wisdom  of  his  work  proves  how 
justly  he  declared :  "  I  have  undertaken  not  to  see  differently, 
but  to  look  farther  than  parties  ;  and,  while  they  are  busied 
for  the  morrow,  I  have  turned  my  thoughts  to  the  future." 

The  mature  and  wholesome  fruit  of  such  conscientious 
intelligence  has  long  been  recognized  both  at  home  and 
abroad.  "  M.  de  Tocqueville,"  whites  Vericour,  "  has  revealed 
to  Europe  the  spirit  of  the  American  laws,  deduced  from  a 
comprehensive  survey  of  usages  and  institutions.  He  has 
decomposed,  with  a  firm  and  skilful  hand,  the  curious 


132  AMEEICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

mechanism  of  this  new  government.  In  a  calm  and  dispas 
sionate  spirit  he  investigates  its  action,  effects,  impulses,  and 
destinies,  gradually  leading  his  reader  to  a  profound  knowl 
edge  of  America ;  while,  upon  manifold  questions  of  the 
gravest  interest  to  Europe,  affecting  its  future  progress  and 
welfare,  he  throws  unexpected  streams  of  light."  With  the 
fondness  for  broad  generalization  from  inadequate  premises, 
and  for  specific  inferences  from  casual  facts,  which  makes  so 
many  of  his  countrymen  philosophize  charmingly,  but  at  ran 
dom,  De  Tocqueville  yet  seized  upon  some  vital  principles  of 
our  national  life,  clearly  and  truly  illustrated  some  normal 
tendencies  and  traits  of  our  civil  and  social  character,  and 
initiated  a  method  of  observation  and  discussion  more 
thoughtful,  authentic,  and  wise  than  any  one  of  his  more 
superficial  predecessors.  No  one  can  read  his  work  without 
finding  it  full  of  valuable  suggestions,  and  often  profoundly 
significant.  He  looked  upon  the  country  with  the  eye  of  a 
philosopher ;  and,  however  the  prejudices  of  his  own  country 
and  culture  may  have  exaggerated  some  and  obscured  other 
perceptions,  the  spirit  of  his  survey  was  comprehensive, 
humane,  and  acute.  The  geographical  peculiarities  of  the 
country,  the  origin  of  her  Anglo-American  colonists,  and 
their  different  national  elements,  are  briefly  considered.  The 
"  advanced  theory  of  legislation  "  of  the  first  laws  enacted  ; 
the  Puritan  as  distinguished  from  the  English  character  of 
the  colonists ;  the  system  of  townships  in  New  England ; 
the  predominance  of  popular  will ;  the  ideas  of  honor,  of 
equality,  administration,  prerogative,  suffrage,  law ;  the  alle 
giance  to  education  and  religion,  trial  by  jury,  the  Federal 
Constitution — each  distinctive  form  and  feature  of  our  politi 
cal  system  is  described  and  considered ;  and  then  the  reflex 
influence  of  these  upon  manners,  language,  labor,  family  life, 
letters,  art,  and  individual  character,  is  more  or  less  truly, 
indicated  —  our  restlessness  of  temper,  monotonous  social 
experience,  devotion  to  physical  well-being,  absorption  in  the 
immediate,  unchastened  style  of  speech  and  writing,  mate 
rialism,  subservience  to  public  opinion.  The  unique  privi- 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS    AND    WRITERS.  133 

leges  and  peculiar  dangers  born  of  our  political  condition, 
are  defined  and  delineated,  not,  indeed,  with  strict  accuracy, 
but  oi'ten  with  salutary  wisdom  and  rare  perspicacity. 

Alexis  de  Tocqueville  was  born  at  Paris,  in  1805.  He 
studied  for  some  time  at  the  College  of  Metz ;  travelled  with 
one  of  his  brothers  in  Italy  and  Sicily ;  was  attached,  after 
his  return,  to  the  court  of  justice  at  Versailles,  where  his 
father,  the  Count  de  Tocqueville,  was  prefect.  While  per 
forming  the  duties  of  Juge-Auditeur,  he  found  time  to 
engage  with  ardor  in  political  studies.  After  the  Revolution 
of  1830,  he  obtained  from  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior  a  mis 
sion  to  America,  for  the  purpose  of  examining  our  system  of 
prison  discipline.  In  1831  he  came  to  the  United  States  with 
his  friend  M.  de  Beaumont,  and,  after  a  year's  residence, 
returned  to  Paris,  and  soon  after  published  the  first  two  vol 
umes  of  his  "  Democracy  in  America  " — a  work  that  estab 
lished  his  reputation  as  an  original  and  systematic  thinker  on 
political  questions  and  social  science.  He  married  an  English 
lady  ;  became  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies,  being 
reflected  from  Yalognes  for  nine  successive  years.  Mean 
time  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  Institute,  received  an 
academy  prize,  and  published  the  additional  volumes  of  his 
work  on  America.  Eminently  conscientious  and  useful  in 
public,  and  happy  in  domestic  life,  De  Tocqueville  continued 
to  think,  write,  and  speak  on  subjects  of  vital  social  interest, 
until  the  failure  of  his  health  enforced  a  life  of  retirement, 
which  was  peculiarly  congenial  to  his  studious  habits  and 
elevated  sympathies.  "  There  ever  seemed  to  stand  before 
his  imagination,"  says  a  recent  critic,  "  two  great  moral 
figures,  sufficient  to  occupy  his  entire  being,  ever  correlative, 
continually  intermingled :  the  one,  France,  her  Revolution  and 
its  consequences ;  the  other,  England,  her  constitutional  lib 
erty  and  its  gigantic  democratic  development  in  the  United 
States  of  America."  With  all  his  recognition  of  democracy 
as  the  inevitable  political  tendency  and  test  of  humanity,  he 
thoroughly  understood  how  few  were  able  to  conceive  or. 
enjoy  the  legitimate  fruits  of  liberty  as  an  inspiration  of 


134  AMERICA   AND    HER    COMMENTATORS. 

character.  "  It  enters,"  he  writes,  "  into  the  large  hearts 
God  has  prepared  to  receive  it ;  it  fills  them,  it  enraptures 
them :  but  to  the  meaner  minds  which  have  never  felt  it,  it 
is  past  finding  out." 

He  was  one  of  the  deputies  arrested  on  the  2d  of  Decem 
ber,  1851,  at  the  time  of  Napoleon  III.'s  coup  cVetat,  and 
was  confined  for  a  time  at  Vincennes.  "Here,"  writes  his 
friend  and  biographer,  De  Beaumont,  "ended  his  political 
life.  It  ended  with  liberty  in  France."  We  have  the  same 
authority  for  a  beautiful  and  harmonious  estimate  of  his 
character  both  as  a  writer  and  a  man.  He  died  at  the  age 
of  fifty-four,  in  1859. 

"  I  have  said,"  remarks  his  intimate  companion  and  faith 
ful  biographer,  "  that  he  had  many  friends ;  but  he  experi 
enced  a  still  greater  happiness — that  of  never  losing  one  of 
them.  He  had  also  another  happiness :  it  was  the  knowing 
how  to  love  them  all  so  well,  that  none  ever  complained  of 
the  share  he  received,  even  while  seeing  that  of  the  others. 
He  was  as  ingenious  as  he  was  sincere  in  his  attachments ; 
and  never,  perhaps,  did  example  prove  better  than  his,  '  com- 
bien  Tesprit  ajoute  de  charmes  a  la  bonte." 

"  Good  as  he  was,  he  aspired  without  ceasing  to  become 
better ;  and  it  is  certain  that  each  day  he  drew  nearer  to 
that  moral  perfection  which  seemed  to  him  the  only  end 
worthy  of  man He  was  more  patient,  more  labo 
rious,  more  watchful  to  lose  nothing  of  that  life  which  he 
loved  so  well,  and  which  he  had  the  right  to  find  beautiful — 
he  who  made  of  it  so  noble  a  use  !  Finally,  it  may  be  said 
to  his  honor,  that  at  an  epoch  in  which  each  man  tends  to 
concentrate  his  regard  upon  himself,  he  had  no  other  aim  than 
that  of  seeking  for  truths  useful  to  his  fellows,  no  other  pas 
sion  than  that  of  increasing  their  well-being  and  their  dig 
nity." 

An  episode  of  De  Tocqueville's  American  tour,  published 
after  his  death,  evinces  a  sensibility  to  nature  and  a  power 
of  observation  in  her  sphere,  which  are  rarely  combined  with 
such  logical  tendencies  as  his  political  disquisitions  manifest. 


FRENCH   TKAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  135 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  a  visit  to  one  of  the  oldest  seats 
of  civilization,  in  his  youth,  inspired  him  with  that  love  of 
economical  and  humane  studies  which  led,  in  his  prime,  to 
the  sojourn  in  and  the  examination  of  the  United  States. 
His  biographer  tells  us  that,  during  De  Tocqueville's  tour  in 
Sicily,  "  witnessing  the  misery  inflicted  on  the  people  by  a 
detestable  Government,  he  was  led  to  reflect  on  the  primary 
conditions  on  which  depends  the  decay  or  the  prosperity  of 
nations."  We  learn,  from  the  same  authority,  that  his  mis 
sion  to  the  United  States  was  a  pretext  for,  not  the  cause  of, 
investigations  there.  The  secret  of  his  liberal  and  earnest 
spirit  of  inquiry,  whereby  his  work  attained  permanent  sig 
nificance  and  philosophic  value,  is  to  be  found  not  less  in  the 
character  than  the  mind  of  De  Tocqueville  ;  for  his  intimate 
friend  and  the  companion  of  his  travels  assures  us,  that 
"the  great  problem  of  the  destiny  of  man  impressed  him 
with  daily  increasing  awe  and  reverence."  It  is  this  senti 
ment,  so  deep  and  prevailing,  which  enabled  him,  as  a  social 
and  political  critic,  to  rise  "  above  the  narrow  views  of  party 
and  the  passions  of  the  moment;"  for  it  was  his  noble  dis 
tinction  as  a  writer,  a  citizen,  and  a  man,  "  in  a  selfish  age,  to 
aim  only  at  the  pursuit  of  truths  useful  to  his  fellow  crea 
tures."  De  Tocqueville  was  surprised  and  attracted  by  the 
"  admirable  and  unusual  good  sense  of  the  Americans."  He 
entered  with  singular  zest  into  the  freshness  and  adventure 
of  border  life,  enjoyed  a  bivouac  in  the  forests  of  Tennessee, 
and  a  "  fortnight  in  the  wilderness,"  where  he  saw  the  In 
dian,  the  pioneer,  and  the  different  classes  of  emigres; 
noting  the  sensations  and  the  sentiment  of  this  experience, 
with  as  much  accuracy  and  relish  as  breathe  from  his  specu 
lations  on  the  institutions  and  the  destiny  of  the  New 
World.  He  found  "  mosquitoes  the  curse  of  the  American 
woods,"  yet  realized  therein  the  "  soft  melancholy,  the  vague 
aversion  to  civilized  life,  and  the  sort  of  savage  instinct" 
which  so  many  poetical  and  adventurous  minds,  from  Boone 
to  Chateaubriand,  have  acknowledged  under  the  same  influ 
ences.  His  analysis  of  the  French,  American,  half-caste,  and 


136  AMEEICA   AND   HEE   COMMENTATOES. 


Indian  inhabitants  of  the  new  settlements  is  discriminating ; 
and  he  was  keenly  alive  to  the  contrast  of  this  new  life  and  its 
primitive  conditions  to  that  he  had  known  in  Europe.  "  Here," 
he  writes,  "  man  still  seems  to  steal  into  life."  The  uniform 
tone  of  character,  and  the  similarity  of  aspect  incident  to  the 
fact  that  the  dwellers  in  the  woods  of  America  are,  with  few 
exceptions,  emigrants  from  civilized  communities,  struck  De 
Tocqueville  forcibly,  accustomed  as  he  was  to  a  peasant  class, 
and  those  diversities  of  character  which  spring  from  feudal 
distinctions.  His  remarks  on  this  subject  are  true  and  sug 
gestive  : 

"  In  America,  more  even  than  in  Europe,  there  is  but  one  society, 
whether  rich  or  poor,  high  or  low,  commercial  or  agricultural ;  it  is 
everywhere  composed  of  the  same  elements.  It  has  all  been  raised  or 
reduced  to  the  same  level  of  civilization.  The  man  whom  you  left  in 
the  streets  of  New  York,  you  find  again  in  the  solitude  of  the  far 
West ;  the  same  dress,  the  same  tone  of  mind,  the  same  language,  the 
same  habits,  the  same  amusements.  No  rustic  simplicity,  nothing 
characteristic  of  the  wilderness,  nothing  even  like  our  villages.  This 
peculiarity  may  be  easily  explained.  The  portions  of  territory  first 
and  most  fully  peopled  have  reached  a  high  degree  of  civilization. 
Education  has  been  prodigally  bestowed ;  the  spirit  of  equality  has 
tinged  with  singular  uniformity  the  domestic  habits.  Now,  it  is  re 
markable  that  the  men  thus  educated  are  those  who  every  year  mi 
grate  to  the  desert.  In  Europe,  a  man  lives  and  dies  where  he  was 
born.  In  America,  you  do  not  see  the  representatives  of  a  race 
grown  and  multiplied  in  retirement,  having  long  lived  unknown  to 
the  world,  and  left  to  its  own  efforts.  The  inhabitants  of  an  isolated 
region  arrived  yesterday,  bring  with  them  the  habits,  ideas,  and 
•wants  of  civilization.  They  adopt  only  so  much  of  savage  life  as  is 
absolutely  forced  upon  them ;  hence  you  see  the  strangest  contrasts. 
You  step  from  the  wilderness  into  the  streets  of  a  city,  from  the  wild 
est  scenes  to  the  most  smiling  pictures  of  civilized  life.  If  night  does 
not  surprise  you,  and  force  you  to  sleep  under  a  tree,  you  may  reach 
a  village  where  you  will  find  everything,  even  French  fashions  and 
caricatures  from  Paris.  The  shops  of  Buffalo  or  Detroit  are  as  well 
supplied  with  all  these  things  as  those  of  New  York.  The  looms  01" 
Lyons  work  for  both  alike.  You  leave  the  high  road  ;  you  plunge 
into  paths  scarcely  marked  out ;  you  come  at  length  upon  a  ploughed 
field,  a  hut  built  of  rough  logs,  lighted  by  a  single  narrow  window ; 
you  think  that  you  have  at  last  reached  the  abode  of  an  American 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  137 

peasant ;  you  are  wrong.  You  enter  this  hut,  which  looks  the  abode 
of  misery ;  the  master  is  dressed  as  you  are  ;  his  language  is  that  of 
the  towns.  On  his  rude  table  are  books  and  newspapers ;  he  takes 
you  hurriedly  aside  to  be  informed  of  what  is  going  on  in  Europe, 
and  asks  you  what  has  most  struck  you  in  his  country.  He  will  trace 
on  paper  for  you  the  plan  of  a  campaign  in  Belgium,  and  will  teach 
you  gravely  what  remains  to  be  done  for  the  prosperity  of  France. 
You  might  take  him  for  a  rich  proprietor,  come  to  spend  a  few  nights 
in  a  shooting  box.  And,  in  fact,  the  log  hut  is  only  a  halting  place 
for  the  American — a  temporary  submission  to  necessity.  As  soon  as 
the  surrounding  fields  are  thoroughly  cultivated,  and  their  owner  has 
time  to  occupy  himself  with  superfluities,  a  more  spacious  dwelling 
will  succeed  the  log  hut,  and  become  the  home  of  a  large  family  of 
children,  who,  in  their  turn,  will  some  day  build  themselves  a  dwell 
ing  in  the  wilderness." 

As  was  inevitable,  De  Tocqueville,  in  describing  and  dis 
cussing  our  governmental  institutions,  made  some  mistakes. 
Looking  at  the  organization  of  the  central  and  State  Govern 
ments  in  the  abstract,  he  could  not  perceive  any  guarantee 
for  the  supremacy  of  the  former  in  case  of  serious  dissatisfac 
tion  on  the  part  of  a  State.  To  one  familiar  with  the  mili 
tary  and  administrative  system  of  Europe,  it  is  not  surprising 
that  the  national  power  should  appear  inadequate  and  un- 
sanctioned  in  such  a  contingency ;  but  farther  consideration 
would  have  modified  this  scepticism,  had  the  sagacious  and 
honest  critic  been  more  practically  acquainted  with  the  latent 
agencies  at  work.  The  fact  is  to  be  found  in  the  history  of 
the  Constitution  itself,  wherein  it  is  made  apparent  that  the 
surrender  of  State  sovereignty  to  national  law  was  regarded 
as  absolute,  and  not  experimental.  The  hesitation  of  some 
States,  the  arguments  for  and  against  union,  so  able,  deliber 
ate,  and  earnest,  and  the  entire  tone  and  tactics  of  the  peer 
less  Convention  which,  at  last,  gave  authority  to  that  great 
instrument  of  republican  rule,  all  show  that  the  compact  was 
a  vital  and  permanent  inauguration  of  popular  sentiment 
and  embodiment  of  popular  will.  Less  binding  affiliations 
had  been  tried  under  the  old  Confederacy,  and  the  indepen 
dent  coexistence  of  the  several  States  had  brought  the 


138  AMEEICA  AND   HEE  COMMENTATOES. 

country  to  the  verge  of  ruin,  before  the  wise  and  patriotic 
instincts  of  the  people  led  them  to  merge  the  life  of  States, 
so  flickering  and  fugitive,  into  that  of  a  nation  so  self-subsist- 
ent  and  powerful ;  and  to  the  maintenance  thereof  the  people 
thus  became  forever  pledged,  and  hence  prepared  to  defend 
and  enforce  what  they  had  calmly  and  voluntarily  decreed. 
Hence  the  resources  of  all  the  States  became  pledged  to  the 
integrity  of  the  nation  ;  precisely  as,  in  so  many  instances,  in 
the  history  of  other  Governments,  the  will  of  the  majority  has 
made  the  law,  the  system,  the  form,  and  the  foundation, 
thenceforth  the  object  of  loyal  support,  protection,  and  faith. 
Recent  events  have,  indeed,  proved  the  fallacy  of  De  Tocque- 
ville's  remark,  that  "  if  one  of  the  States  desires  to  withdraw 
its  name  from  the  compact,  it  would  be  difficult  to  disprove 
its  right  of  doing  so,  and  the  Federal  Government  would 
have  no  means  of  maintaining  its  claims  either  by  force  or 
right."  Even  this  experiment  has  never  yet  been  tried,  no 
legitimate  and  free  expression  of  the  desire  "  to  withdraw  its 
name  from  the  compact "  ever  yet  having  been  made  by  the 
constitutional  voice  of  any  State.  The  "  secession"  of  1861 
was  effected  by  as  flagrant  violation  of  State  as  of  Federal  law. 
The  prescience  and  wisdom  of  De  Tocqueville  are  em 
phatic  in  what  he  says  of  the  dangers  attending  our  insti 
tutions.  Herein,  instead  of  seeking  in  the  form  of  govern 
ment  itself  the  only  causes  for  vigilance,  and  finding  sophis 
tical  arguments  to  decry  republican  manners  and  culture,  after 
the  prejudiced  style  of  most  English  writers,  he  notes  the 
local  and  incidental  influences,  the  facts  of  nature  and  of  his 
tory  peculiar  to  America,  as  threatening  to  the  integrity  of 
the  republic — especially  the  disproportionate  increase  of  cer 
tain  States ;  the  jealousy  of  the  slaveholders  and  their  eco 
nomical  theories ;  the  conflict  between  free  and  slave  labor, 
and  the  consequences  thereof;  the  sudden  growth  of  popula 
tion  ;  universal  suffrage  without  equal  or  adequate  education ; 
the  frequency  of  elections — and  utters  thereon  many  philo 
sophical  arguments  full  of  insight  and  sympathy.  "There 
are,  at  the  present  time,"  he  observes,  "  two  groat  nations  in 


FRENCH   TEAVELLEES   AND   WEITEES.  139 

the  world,  which  seem  to  tend  toward  the  same  end,  although 
they  started  from  different  points :  I  allude  to  the  Russians 
and  the  Americans.  The  world  learned  their  existence  and 
their  greatness  at  almost  the  same  time.  The  Anglo-Ameri 
can  relies  upon  personal  interest  to  acomplish  his  ends,  and 
gives  free  scope  to  the  unguided  exertions  and  common  sense 
of  the  citizens ;  the  Russian  centres  all  the  authority  of  soci 
ety  in  a  single  arm.  The  principal  instrument  of  the  former 
is  freedom ;  of  the  latter,  servitude.  Their  starting  point  is 
different,  and  their  courses  are  not  the  same ;  yet  each  of 
them  seems  to  be  marked  out  .by  the  will  of  Heaven  to  sway 
the  destinies  of  half  the  globe." 

"  It  was  my  intention,"  observes  De  Tocqueville,  "  to 
depict,  in  another  work,  the  influence  which  the  equality  of 
condition  and  the  rule  of  democracy  exercise  upon  the  civil 
society,  the  habits,  and  the  manners  of  the  Americans.  I 
begin,  however,  to  feel  less  ardor  for  the  accomplishment  of 
this  object  since  the  excellent  work  of  my  friend  and  travel 
ling  companion,  M.  de  Beaumont,  has  been  given  to  the 
world.* 

The  grave  statistical  work  with  which  the  name  of  De 
Beaumont  was  identified,  made  his  advent  as  a  romance 
writer  a  surprise.  But  he  aspired  to  no  such  title.  His 
"  Marie  "  deals  with  historical  and  social  facts  under  a  very 
thin  disguise  of  fiction,  adopted  rather  to  give  free  scope  to 
speculation  in  the  form  of  imaginary  conversations,  than  to 
subserve  dramatic  effect.  The  thread  of  the  story  is  evolved 
from  what  the  author  found  to  be  a  prevalent  and  permanent 
social  prejudice.  He  relates  an  incident  which  occurred  in  a 
Northern  city  during  his  sojourn  in  America,  which  made  a 
great  impression  upon  his  mind.  A  gentleman  of  dark  com 
plexion,  and  regarded  as  a  mulatto,  was  forcibly  ejected  from 
the  theatre,  simply  and  only  because  of  his  color.  M.  de 
Beaumont  sought  to  trace  the  extent  and  ascertain  the  force 
of  this  "  barriere  place  entre  les  deux  races  par  un  prejuge 

*  "  Marie,  ou  L'Esclavage  aux  ^tats  Unis,  Tableau  de  Mceurs  Americaines," 
par  Gustave  de  Beaumont,  Bruxelles,  1825. 


140  AMERICA  AND   HER  COMMENTATORS. 

sociale  ;"  and  this  forms  the  inspiration  of  his  story,  wherein 
the  course  of  true  love  does  not  run  smooth  because  of  a 
difference,  not  of  character,  refinement,  or  position,  but  of 
chemical  proportions  in  the  blood  of  the  lovers.  Much  ro 
mantic  emotion  and  no  little  social  and  moral  philosophy  are 
ingeniously  deduced  from  this  circumstance.  If  there  are 
few  startling  incidents,  there  is  a  charming  tone  and  grace  of 
style.  If  the  "  situations  "  are  not  dramatic,  they  are  often 
picturesque.  Extreme  statements  occur  in  the  discussions, 
but  they  are  modified  by  explanations  given  in  the  copious 
notes  appended  to  the  story.  »While  antipathies  of  race  and 
the  problem  of  slavery  constitute  the  serious  and  pervading 
themes,  manners  and  customs  in  general  are  illustrated  and 
considered  with  reference  to  the  institutions  of  the  United 
States.  There  is  little  originality  in  these  topics  or  their 
treatment.  They  have  long  been  staple  texts  for  theoretical 
and  practical  criticism  by  the  pulpit  and  the  press.  M.  de 
Beaumont,  or  rather  his  imaginary  characters,  comment  on 
the  materialism,  the  devotion  to  gain,  the  absence  of  taste, 
the  nomadic  habits,  the  unimaginative  spirit,  and  the  monoto 
nous  routine  of  American  life.  Elections,  emeutes,  Sundays, 
sects,  domestic  and  social  tendencies  and  traits,  are  deline 
ated  often  in  a  partial  or  exaggerated  way,  yet,  on  the  whole, 
with  candor,  and  in  much  more  pleasing  and  finished  lan 
guage  than  we  often  find  in  books  of  travel.  Our  sociable 
arrangements  are  attributed  in  part  to  our  comparative  equal 
ity  of  condition,  which  is  also  justly  declared  to  promote 
marriage,  whereas  rank,  in  France,  discourages  it.  The 
total  separation  of  church  and  state,  and  the  consequent  mul 
tiplicity  of  sects,  however  favorable  to  religious  convictions, 
are  described  as  wholly  opposed  to  the  development  of  art. 
An  industrial  career  being  the  destiny  of  the  American,  he 
is  soon  in  the  way  of  gaining  at  least  subsistence,  and  a 
home  and  family  of  his  own  is  the  natural  consequence ;  so 
that  one  of  the  rare  things  in  America,  according  to  this 
observer,  is  "  an  old  boy  of  twenty-five  " — in  other  words,  a 
young  bachelor. 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  141 

From  Baltimore  the  reader  is  transported  to  un  foret 
vierge,  and  refreshed  with  some  delicious  landscapes  ;  for  De 
Beaumont,  as  well  as  his  friend  and  companion  De  Tocque- 
ville,  had  a  keen  eye  for  nature  in  the  JSTew  World,  and  de 
scribes  her  wild  and  characteristic  features  with  vivid  truth 
and  feeling.  Few  modern  books  of  travel  in  America  give 
a  more  complete,  authentic,  and  interesting  sketch  of  the 
condition  of  the  diiferent  Indian  tribes.  They  and  the  ne 
groes  occupy  a  large  space  in  the  descriptions  and  discussions 
of  this  work,  and  obviously  enlist  the  warmest  and  most 
intelligent  sympathies  of  the  author.  His  comments  on  the 
lack  of  artistic  enthusiasm,  of  bon  gout  and  tact  fin  et  subtil 
in  literature,  and  on  the  intensely  practical  tone  of  mind,  the 
pride  and  jealousy  of  which  money  is  the  motive  and  object, 
the  want  of  time  for  sentiment  and  gallantry,  the  partisan 
ferocity,  and  the  dearth  of  romance  and  repose,  are  some 
times  extravagant,  but  often  piquant  and  just,  and  not  unfre- 
quently  amusing  from  their  partial  recognition  of  latent  facts 
and  feelings  whereby  their  power  and  prevalence  are  essen 
tially  modified.  We  are  told  there  is  no  heureuse  pauvrete  in 
America,  and  no  small  theatres,  and — as  consequent  upon  the 
latter  defect — a  lamentable  want  of  dramatic  talent  and 
taste  ;  and  that,  while  love  is  wholly  in  abeyance  to  interest, 
our  charitable  institutions  are  original  and  effective.  The 
extreme  "  facilite  de  s'enricher  et  d'arriver  au  sacerdoce,"  it 
is  declared,  produces  serious  and  often  sinister  social  results. 
As  with  all  Frenchmen,  the  different  relative  positions  of  the 
sexes,  and  the  character  and  career  of  women  in  America 
and  in  France,  excite  frequent  comment.  "  Les  femmes 
Americaines,"  we  are  told,  "  ont,  en  general,  un  esprit  orne 
mais  peu  d'imagination  et  plus  de  raison  que  de  sensibilite  ; 
pour  toute  fille  qui  a  plus  de  seize  ans  la  manage  est  la  grand 
interet  de  la  vie.  En  France  elle  le  desire  ;  en  Amerique  elle 
le  cherche  :  chez  nous  la  coquetterie  est  une  passion ;  en 
Ame'rique  un  calcul."  He  is  touched  with  the  fragility  of 
constitution  which  makes  the  beauty  of  our  women  so  pro 
verbially  transient,  and  observes  that  their  girlish  days  are 


142  AMERICA   AND   HEK   COMMENTATORS. 

the  most  free  and  happy ;  for  while,  in  France,  marriage 
brings  a  liberty  to  the  wife  unknown  to  the  maiden,  in 
America  it  ends  the  irresponsible  gayety,  and  initiates  "  les 
devoirs  austeres  au  foyer  domestique."  There  is  much  truth 
and  wisdom  in  many  of  the  generalizations  in  M.  de  Beau 
mont's  graceful  supplement  to  M.  de  Tocqueville's  stern 
analysis  of  facts.  But,  while  the  reasoning  and  principles 
of  the  latter  are  quite  as,  if  not  more  significant  to-day  than 
when  they  were  written,  many  of  the  former's  comments 
have  lost  their  special  application,  and  may  now  be  quite  as 
justly  appropriated  by  his  own  countrymen  as  by  Americans 
— so  completely,  in  a  quarter  of  a  century,  has  chivalrio 
France  become  material,  and  money  overpowered  rank,  sub 
sidized  political  aspirations,  and  made  uniform,  luxurious,  and 
mercenary  the  standard  tone  and  traits  of  social  life ;  while, 
in  America,  new  and  momentous  practical  issues  have  suc 
ceeded  the  speculative  phase  of  slavery,  and  a  direct  physical 
and  moral  conflict  between  its  champions  and  those  of  free 
constitutional  government,  has  developed  unimagined  re 
sources  of  character  and  results  of  democratic  rule,  which 
may  yet  purify  and  exalt  the  national  ideal  and  the  social 
traits,  so  as  to  make  wholly  traditional  many  of  the  worse 
"blots  on  the  escutcheon"  so  emphatically  designated  by 
this  and  other  humane  and  enlightened  commentators  on 
America. 

Another  of  De  Tocqueville's  most  congenial  friends  was 
J.  J.  Ampere,  so  long  the  amiable  and  accomplished  profes 
sor  of  belles  lettres  in  the  College  of  France,  and  the  biogra 
pher  of  the  author  of  "  Democracy  in  America  "  judiciously 
refers  to  Ampere's  "  Promenade  en  Amerique  "  *  as  an  excel 
lent  illustration  of  his  friend's  philosophical  work,  giving 
the  facts  and  impressions  wThich  confirm  and  explain  it.  Not 
only  did  community  of  opinion  and  mutual  affection  suggest 
this  relation  between  the  two  authors,  diverse  in  plan  and 
power  as  are  their  respective  books  on  this  country ;  but  it 

*  "  Promenade  en  Amerique.,"  par  J.  J.  Ampere,  de  1'Academie  Fran9aise, 
Paris,  1855. 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  143 

was  when  reading  De  Tocqueville's  "  Democracy,"  during  a 
trip  up  the  Rhine,  that  Ampere  conceived  the  desire  and 
purpose  to  visit  the  United  States.  Looking  up  from  the 
thoughtful  page  to  some  ruined  tower  or  memorable  scene, 
he  had  the  relics  of  feudalism  before  his  eyes,  while  his  mind 
was  occupied  with  the  modern  development  of  humanity  in 
the  most  free  and  fraternal  civic  institutions.  He  had  trav 
elled  in  Greece,  Italy,  and  the  East,  and  brought  a  scholar's 
wisdom  and  a  poet's  sympathy  to  the  illustration  of  that 
experience ;  and  now,  under  the  inspiration  of  his  friend's 
treatise  on  the  condition  and  prospects  of  the  Western  repub 
lic,  he  felt  a  strong  interest  in  the  experiment  whereby  he 
conld  compare  the  New  with  the  Old  World,  and  observe  the 
most  intense  life  of  the  present  as  he  had  explored  the  calm 
monuments  of  the  past.  Ampere's  record  of  his  American 
tour  is  singularly  unpretending.  It  resembles,  in  tone  and 
method,  the  best  conversation.  The  style  is  pure  and  ani 
mated,  and  the  thoughts  naturally  suggested.  He  describes 
what  he  sees  with  candor  and  geniality,  criticizes  without 
the  slightest  acrimony,  and  commends  with  graceful  zeal. 
And  yet,  simple  and  unambitious  as  the  narrative  is,  it  affords 
a  most  agreeable,  authentic,  and  suggestive  illustration  of  De 
Tocqueville's  theories.  "  Toujours,"  he  exclaims,  "  la  negli 
gence  Americaine !  "  in  noting  a  shower  of  ignited  cinders 
falling  upon  cotton  bales  on  the  deck  of  a  crowded  steam 
boat  ;  and,  in  describing  the  substitute  for  bells  in  the  hotel 
at  New  Orleans,  he  remarks :  "  Les  sonnettes  sont  remplacees 
par  un  appareil  elecfro-magnetique.  En  ce  pays,  non-seule- 
ment  la  science  est  applique  a  1'industrie,  mais  on  1'emploie 
aux  offices  les  plus  vulgaires.  Au  lieu  de  tirer  le  cordon 
d'une  sonnette  on  fait  jouer  une  pile  de  Volta." 

The  arrival  of  Kossuth  gave  Ampere  an  excellent  oppor 
tunity  to  note  the  phases  of  popular  feeling  in  America.  He 
has  that  catholic  taste  and  temper  so  essential  to  a  good  trav 
eller.  He  takes  an  interest  in  whatever  relates  to  humanity, 
and  his  extensive  reading  and  cosmopolitan  experience  place 
him  en  rapport  with  people  and  things,  historical  associations, 


144  AMEEICA  AND   HEE  COMMENTATOES . 

and  speculative  opinions,  with  the  greatest  facility.  While 
devoting  attention  to  those  subjects  which  have  always  occu 
pied  intelligent  travellers  .in  America,  he  sought  and  enjoyed, 
to  an  uncommon  extent,  the  companionship  of  men  of  letters 
and  of  science,  and,  when  practicable,  secured  them  as  cice 
roni.  On  this  account  his  work  gives  more  exact  and  full 
information  in  regard  to  the  intellectual  condition  and  scien 
tific  enterprises  of  the  country  than  any  similar  record  of  the 
same  date.  His  intellectual  appetite  is  eager,  his  social  affini 
ties  strong,  and  his  love  of  nature  instinctive :  hence  the  vari 
ety  and  vividness  of  his  observations.  He  describes  a  sunset 
and  a  political  fete,  analyzes  a  sermon  as  well  as  a  theory, 
can  feel  the  meditative  charm  of  Gray's  Elegy  while  roam 
ing,  on  an  autumn  afternoon,  through  Mount  Auburn,  and 
patiently  investigate  the  results  of  the  penitentiary  system  in 
a  model  prison.  Observatories,  ornithological  museums,  the 
maps  of  the  Coast  Survey,  the  trophies  of  the  Patent  Office, 
private  libraries  and  characters,  the  antiquities  of  the  West 
and  the  social  privileges  of  the  East,  schools,  sects,  botanical 
specimens,  machines,  the  physiognomy  of  cities  and  the 
aspects  of  primeval  nature,  embryo  settlements  and  the 
process  of  an  election,  an  opera  or  a  waterfall — are  each  and 
all  described  and  discussed  with  intelligence  and  sympathy. 
He  recalled  Irving's  humorous  description  of  New  York  at 
the  sight  of  a  Dutch  mansion ;  examined  the  process  of  the 
sugar  manufacture  in  Louisiana,  discussed  glaciers  and  geol 
ogy  with  Agassiz,  jurisprudence  with  Kent,  Mississippi 
mounds  with  Davis,  and  the  Alhambra  with  Irving.  He 
contrasts  the  German  and  New  England  character  in  Ohio, 
traces  the  history  of  parties  and  the  character  of  statesmen 
at  Washington,  and  utters  his  calm  but  earnest  protest 
against  slavery  while  describing  the  hospitality  of  Carolina. 
He  portrays  with  care  and  feeling  the  representative  charac 
ters  of  the  land,  and  is  picturesque  in  his  scenic  descriptions, 
drawing  felicitous  comparisons  from  his  experience  in  Italy 
and  the  East.  He  calls  Agassiz  a  veritable  enfant  des  Alpes, 
and  Sparks  the  American  Plutarch ;  recognizes  the  military 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  145 

instiiict  of  the  nation,  since  so  remarkably  manifest,  and 
aptly  refers  to  Volney,  Chateaubriand,  and  other  French 
travellers.  Sometimes  his  distinctions  are  fanciful :  as  when 
he  attributes  the  different  aspects  under  which  he  saw  Long 
fellow  and  Bryant — the  one  in  his  pleasant  country  house, 
and  the  other  at  his  editorial  desk — to  political  instead  of 
professional  causes ;  but,  usually,  his  insight  is  as  sagacious 
as  his  observation  is  candid.  He  writes  always  like  a  scholar 
and  a  gentleman,  and,  as  such,  is  justly  revolted  by  the  indif 
ference  exhibited  toward  travellers  in  this  country,  on  the 
part  of  those  in  charge  of  public  conveyances.  He  truly 
declares  the  absence  of  indications  and  information  in  this 
regard  a  disgrace  to  our  civilization,  and  gives  some  strik 
ing  examples  of  personal  inconvenience,  discomfort,  and 
hazard  thus  incurred.  Indeed,  when  we  remember  that 
Ampere,  during  his  sojourn  among  us,  was  more  or  less  of  an 
invalid,  his  good  nature  and  charitable  spirit  are  magnani 
mous,  when  left  to  wander  in  wet  and  darkness  from  one  car 
to  another,  obliged  to  pass  sleepless  nights  on  board  of 
steamers  recklessly  propelled  and  overloaded,  robbed  of  his 
purse  at  a  Presidential  levee,  and  subjected  to  so  many  other 
vexations.  He  was  much  interested  in  discovering  what  he 
calls  a  veine  europeenne  pervading  the  educated  classes,  and 
was  agreeably  surprised  to  find  so  often  an  identity  of  cul 
ture  between  his  old  friends  in  Europe  and  new  ones  in 
America,  which  made  him  feel  at  home  and  at  ease.  He  pro 
tests  against  the  bombastic  appellatives  to  which  the  Ameri 
cans  are  prone.  He  was  gratified  to  find  his  illustrious 
father's  scientific  labors  recognized  by  a  professor  at  the 
Smithsonian  Institute,  and  his  own  archa3ological  research  by 
a  lecturer  at  New  Orleans.  The  sound  of  the  bell  saluting 
Mount  Yernon,  as  he  glided  down  the  Potomac,  touched  him 
as  did  the  "  tintement  de  1'Angelus  dans  la  campagne  Ro- 
maine."  He  felt,  like  most  of  his  countrymen,  the  "  tristesse 
du  dimanche  "  in  America,  but,  unlike  them,  found  congenial 
employment  in  a  critical  examination  of  the  hymns,  the  homi 
lies,  and  the  character  of  the  various  denominations  of  Prot- 
7 


146  AMERICA   AND    HER   COMMENTATORS. 

estant  Christians.  Amused  at  the  universality  of  the  term 
"  lady "  applied  to  the  female  sex  in  America,  he  yet  soon 
learned  to  recognize,  in  this  deference,  a  secret  of  the  social 
order  where  no  rank  organizes  and  restrains.  Quakers  and 
Mormons,  cotton  and  architecture,  aqueducts  and  Indians, 
Niagara  and  the  prairies,  a  slave  auction  and  a  congressional 
debate,  are  with  equal  justice  and  sensibility  considered  in 
this  pleasant  "  Promenade  en  Amerique,"  which  extends  from 
Canada  to  Cuba  and  Mexico,  and  abounds  in  evidences  of  the 
humane  sympathies,  the  literary  accomplishment,  and  the 
social  philosophy  of  the  author. 

One  of  the  most  deservedly  popular  French  economical 
works  on  the  United  States  is  that  of  Michael  Chevalier.  It 
contains  valuable  and  comparatively  recent  statistical  infor 
mation,  and  is  written  with  care,  and,  in  general,  with  liberal 
ity  and  discrimination.  The  "  Voyage  dans  1'Interieure  des 
Etats  Unis,"  by  M.  Bayard  (Paris,  1779)  ;  Godfrey  de 
Vigny's  "Six  Months  in  America"  (London,  1833);  the 
"  Essais  Historiques  et  Politiques  sur  les  Anglo-Americaines," 
by  M.  Hilliard  d'Ubertail  (Brussels,  1781),  and  the  "  Re- 
cherches  "  on  the  same  subject,  by  "  un  citoyen  de  Yirginie  " 
(Mazzei),  as  well  as  the  account  of  the  United  States  fur 
nished  "  L'Univers,  ou  Histoire  et  Descriptions  des  Tous  les 
Peuples  " — a  work  of  valuable  reference,  by  M.  Roux,  who 
was  formerly  French  Minister  in  this  country,  of  which  he 
gives  a  copious  though  condensed  account — are  among  the 
many  works  more  or  less  superseded  as  authorities,  yet  all 
containing  some  salient  points  of  observation  or  suggestive 
reasoning.  "  La  Spectateur  Americaine,"  of  Mandrillon, 
Cartier's  "  Nouvelle  France,"  Bonnet's  "  Etats  Unis  a  la  fin 
clu  18me  Centurie,"  Beaujour's  "  Apercu  des  £tats  Unis," 
Gentry's  "  Influence  of  the  Discovery  of  America,"  and 
Grasset's  "  Encyclopedic  des  Voyages,"  afford  many  sugges 
tive  and  some  original  facts  and  speculations.  Lavasseur's 
"  Lafayette  in  America,"  *  and  Count  O'Mahony's  "  Lettres 

*  "Lafayette  in  America  in  1824-'25  ;  or,  A  Journal  of  a  Voyage  to  the 
United  States,"  by  A.  Lavasseur,  Secretary  to  General  Lafayette,  2  vols., 
12mo.,  Philadelphia,  1829 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS. 

sur  les  Etats  Unis,"  contain  some  curious  details  and  useful 
material.  To  these  may  be  added,  as  more  or  less  worthy  of 
attention,  of  the  earlier  records,  the  "  Memoires  de  Baron 
La  Honton,"  *  and  later,  the  "  Observations  upon  Florida,"  by 
Vignoles,f  and  the  volumes  of  Claviere,  Soutel,  Engle,  Fran- 
ehere,  Palessier,  Bossu,  Hariot,  Chabert,  Bouchet,  Hurt- 
Binet,  &c. 

Besides  the  more  formal  records  of  tours  in  America, 
and  episodes  of  military  memoirs  devoted  thereto,  the  inci 
dental  personal  references  in  the  correspondence  of  the  gal 
lant  officers  and  noblemen  of  France  who  mingled  in  our  best 
local  society,  at  the  Revolutionary  era,  afford  vivid  glimpses 
of  manners  and  character,  such  as  an  ingenious  modern 
novelist  would  find  admirable  and  authentic  materiel.  It  was 
a  period  when  republican  simplicity  coalesced  with  the  refine 
ments  of  education  and  the  prestige  of  oM-school  manners, 
and  therefore  afforded  the  most  salient  traits.  Some  of  the 
most  ardent  tributes  to  American  women  of  that  date  were 
written  from  Newport,  in  Rhode  Island,  by  their  Gallic 
admirers  ;  and  in  these  spontaneous  descriptions,  when 
stripped  of  rhetorical  exaggeration,  we  discern  a  state  of 
society  and  a  phase  of  character  endeared  to  all  lovers  of 
humanity,  and  trace  both,  in  no  small  degree,  to  the  institu 
tions  and  local  influences  of  the  country.  The  Due  de  Lau- 
zun,  when  sent  into  Berkshire  County,  because  his  knowledge 
of  English  made  his  services  as  an  envoy  more  available  than 
those  of  his  brother  officers,  seems  to  regard  the  errand  as 
little  better  than  exile,  and  says,  "  Lebanon  can  only  be  com 
pared  to  Siberia."  Attached  to  the  society  of  Newport,  and 
domesticated  with  the  Hunter  family,  he  is  never  weary  of 
expatiating  upon  the  sweetness,  purity,  and  grace  of  the 
women  of  "  that  charming  spot  regretted  by  all  the  army." 

*  La  Honton's  (Baron)  "  Memoires  de  1'Amerique  Septeutrionale,  ou  la  Suite 
des  Voyages,  avec  un  petit  Dictionnaire  de  la  Langue  du  Pais,"  2  tomes,  12mo., 
map  and  plates,  Amsterdam,  1705. 

f  Vignoles'  (Charles)  "  Observations  upon  the  Floridas,"  8vo.,  New  York, 
1823. 


148  AMERICA  AND  HER  COMMENTATORS. 

And  when  De  Vauban  there  introduced  the  Prince  de  Bro- 
glie  to  a  pretty  Quakeress,  the  former  writes  that  he  "  sud 
denly  beheld  the  goddess  of  grace  and  beauty — Minerva  in 
person."  It  is  a  striking  illustration  of  the  social  instinct 
of  the  French,  that  manners,  character,  and  personal  ap 
pearance  occupy  so  large  a  space  in  their  commentaries  on 
America. 

"  Other  parts  of  America,"  says  another  officer,  "  were 
only  beautiful  by  anticipation ;  but  the  prosperity  of  Rhode 
Island  was  already  complete.  Newport,  well  and  regularly 
built,  contained  a  numerous  population.  It  offered  delightful 
circles,  composed  of  enlightened  men  and  modest  and  hand 
some  women,  whose  talents  heightened  their  personal  attrac 
tions."  This  was  in  1782,  ere  the  commercial  importance 
of  the  port  had  been  superseded,  and  when  the  belles  of  the 
town  were  the  toast  and  the  triumph  of  every  circle.  La 
Rochefoucault  and  other  French  tourists,  at  a  later  period, 
found  the  prosperity  of  the  town  on  the  wane,  and  the  social 
distinction  modified ;  yet  none  the  less  attractive  and  valuable 
are  the  fresh  and  fanciful  but  sincere  testimonies  to  genuine 
and  superior  human  graces  and  gifts,  of  the  French  memoirs. 

But  such  casual  illustrations  of  the  candid  and  kindly 
observation  of  our  gallant  allies,  fade  before  the  consistent 
and  intelligent  tributes  of  Lafayette,  whose  relation  to 
America  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  historical  episodes  of 
modern  times.  After  his  youthful  championship  in  the  field, 
and  his  mature  counsels,  intercessions,  and  triumphant  advo 
cacy  of  our  cause  in  France  (for,  "  during  the  period,"  says 
Mr.  Everett,  "  which  intervened,  from  the  peace  of  '83  to 
the  organization  of  the  Federal  Government,  Lafayette  per 
formed,  in  substance,  the  functions  of  our  Minister"),  when 
forty  years  had  elapsed,  he  revisited  the  land  for  which  he 
had  fought  in  youth,  to  witness  the  physical  and  social,  the 
moral  and  intellectual  fruits  of  "  liberty  protected  by  law." 
And  during  this  whole  period,  and  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
he  was  in  correspondence,  first  with  Washington  and  the 
leading  men  of  the  Revolution,  and  later  with  various  per- 


FRENCH    TKAVELLEES   AND   WRITERS.  149 

sonal  friends.  In  his  letters  from  and  to  America,  there  is 
constant  indirect  testimony  to  and  illustration  of  the  charac 
ter  of  the  people,  the  tendencies  of  opinion,  the  means  and 
methods  of  life  and  government,  founded  on  observation, 
intercourse,  and  sympathy,  and  endeared  and  made  emphatic 
by  his  devotion  to  our  spotless  chief,  his  sacrifices  for  our 
cause,  and  his  unswerving  devotion  to  our  political  prin 
ciples  ;  in  a  word,  by  his  vigilant  and  faithful  love  of 
America. 

In  1824,  De  Pradt,  formerly  archbishop  of  Malines,  and 
deputy  to  the  Constituent  Assembly  from  Normandy,  a  volu 
minous  political  writer,  published  "  L'Europe  et  1'Amerique," 
in  two  volumes,  the  third  of  his  works  on  this  subject,  "  in 
which  he  gives  an  historical  view  of  the  principles  of  gov 
ernment  in  the  Old  and  New  Worlds."  Judicious  critics  pro 
nounce  his  style  verbose  and  incorrect,  and  his  views  partial 
and  shallow.  His  motto  is,  "  Le  genre  humain  est  en  marche 
et  rien  ne  le  fera  retrograder." 

Several  of  the  French  Protestant  clergy  have  visited  the 
United  States,  within  the  last  few  years,  and  some  of  them 
have  put  on  record  their  impressions,  chiefly  with  regard  to 
the  actual  state  of  religion.  In  many  instances,  however,  the 
important  facts  on  this  subject  have  been  drawn  from  the 
copious  and  authentic  American  work  of  Dr.  Baird.*  Among 
books  of  this  class,  are  "  L'Amerique  Protestante,"  par  M. 
Rey,  and  the  sketches  of  M.  Grandpierre  and  M.  Fisch. 
The  latter's  observations  on  Religion  in  America,  originally 
appeared  in  the  "  Revue  Chretien,"  but  were  subsequently 
embodied  in  a  small  volume,  which  includes  observations  on 
other  themes.f 

The  latter  work,  though  limited  in  scope,  and  the  fruit  of 
a  brief  visit,  has  an  interest  derived  from  the  circumstance 
that  the  worthy  pasteur  arrived  just  before  the  fall  of  Suni- 
ter,  and  was  an  eyewitness  and  a  conscientious  though  terse 
reporter  of  the  aspects  of  that  memorable  period.  He  recog- 

*  "  Religion  in  America,"  by  Robert  Baird,  D.  D. 

|  "  Les  £tats  Unis  en  1861,"  par  Georges  Fisch,  Paris,  1862. 


150  AMEEICA   AND    HER   COMMENTATORS. 

nizes  in  the  Americans  "  un  peuple  qui  n'avait  d'autre  force 
publique  que  celle  des  idees  ; "  and  deprecates  the  hasty  judg 
ment  and  perverse  ignorance  so  prevalent  in  Europe  in  regard 
to  "  une  grande  lutte  ou  se  debattatit  les  int6rets  les  plus 
eleves  de  la  morale  et  de  la  religion ; "  and  justly  affirms  that 
it  is,  in  fact,  "  le  choc  de  deux  civilizations  et  de  deux  re 
ligions."  M.  Fisch,  however,  disclaims  all  intention  of  a 
complete  analysis  of  national  character.  His  book  is  mainly 
devoted  to  an  account  of  the  religious  organization,  condi 
tion,  and  prospects  of  America,  especially  as  seen  from  his 
own  point  of  view.  Many  of  the  details  on  this  subject  are 
not  only  correct,  but  suggestive.  He  writes  in  a  liberal  and 
conscientious  spirit.  His  sympathies  are  Christian,  and  he 
descants  on  education  and  faith  in  the  United  States  with 
intelligent  and  candid  zeal.  Indeed,  he  was  long  at  a  loss  to 
understand  what  provision  existed  in  society  to  check  and 
calm  the  irresponsible  and  exuberant  energy,  the  heterogene 
ous  elements,  and  the  self-reliance  around  him,  until  con 
vinced  that  the  latent  force  of  these  great  conservative  prin 
ciples  of  human  society  were  the  guarantee  of  order  and 
pledge  of  self-control.  There  is  no  people,  he  observes,  who 
have  been  judged  in  so  superficial  a  manner.  America  he 
regards  as  having  all  the  petulance  of  youth,  all  the  naivete 
of  inexperience :  all  there  is  incomplete — in  the  process  of 
achievement.  This  was  his  earliest  impression  on  landing  at 
]STew  York,  the  scene  whereof  was  "  un  bizarre  melange  de 
sauvagerie  et  de  civilization."  But,  after  his  patience  had 
been  nearly  exhausted,  he  entered  the  city,  emerging  with 
agreeable  surprise  from  muddy  and  noisome  streets  into 
Broadway,  to  find  palaces  of  six  or  seven  stories  devoted  to 
commerce,  and  to  admire  "  les  figures  fines  et  gracieuses,  la 
demarche  Ieg6re  et  libre  des  femmes,  les  allures  vives  de  toute 
la  population."  The  frank  hospitality  with  which  he  was 
received,  and  the  interesting  study  of  his  specialite  as  a  trav 
eller,  soon  enlarged  and  deepened  his  impressions.  He  has  a 
chapter  on  "La  lutte  presidentielle "  which  resulted  in  Lin 
coln's  election,  the  phenomena  whereof  he  briefly  describes. 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS    AND   WRITERS.  151 

Then  we  have  a  sketch  entitled  "  Statistique  religieuse  des 
fitats  Unis  ;"  followed  by  judicious  comments  on  the  "  Unite 
de  1'^glise  Americaine,  son  esprit  et  son  influence."  He 
considers  Henry  Ward  Beecher  an  iinprovisatore — "  mais  c'est 
1'improvisation  du  genie  ; "  and  says,  "  L'on  va  entendre  M. 
Beecher  comme  on  irait  a  theatre."  He  describes  succinctly 
the  system  of  public  instruction ;  alludes  to  the  progress  of 
art  and  letters ;  expatiates  on  Venergie  and  Vaudace  of  the 
Americans ;  is  anecdotical  and  descriptive ;  praises  the  land 
scapes  of  Church  and  the  sculpture  of  Crawford,  Powers, 
and  Palmer ;  gives  a  chapter  to  the  "  Caractere  national," 
and  another  to  "  L'esclavage  aux  l^tats  Unis  ;"  closing  with 
hopeful  auguries  for  the  future  of  the  country  under  "  le 
re  veil  de  la  conscience,"  wherein  he  sees  the  cause  and  scope 
of  "  la  crise  actuelle  ; "  declaring  that  "  la  vie  puissante  de 
1'Amerique  reprendra  son  paisible  cours.  Elle  pourra  se 
reprendre  avec  une  puissance  incomparable  sur  une  terre 
renouvelee,  et  le  monde  apprendra  une  fois  de  plus  que  TEvan- 
gile  est  la  salut  des  nations,  comme  il  est  celui  des  individus." 
Brochures  innumerable,  devoted  to  special  phases  of 
American  life,  facts  of  individual  experience,  and  themes  of 
social  speculation,  swell  the  catalogue  raisonnee  of  French 
writings  in  this  department,  and,  if  not  of  great  value,  often 
furnish  salient  anecdotes  or  remarks ;  as,  for  instance,  M. 
August  Carlier's  amusing  little  treatise  on  "La  Mariage  aux 
Hitats  Unis,"  the  statement  of  one  voyageur  who  happened  to 
behold  for  the  first  time  a  dish  of  currie,  that  the  Americans 
eat  their  rice  with  mustard,  and  the  disgust  natural  to  one 
accustomed  to  the  rigorous  municipal  regime  of  Paris,  ex 
pressed  by  Maurice  Sand,  at  the  exposure,  for  three  days, 
of  a  dead  horse  in  the  streets  of  New  York.  Xavier  Eyma's 
"  Yie  dans  le  Nouveau  Monde"  (Paris,  1861)  is  one  of  the 
most  recent  elaborate  works,  of  which  a  judicious  critical 
authority  observes : 

"  He  has  given  two  goodly  octavos  to  a  solid  criticism  and  descrip 
tion  of  American  '  men  and  institutions  ; '  two  more  octavos  to  a  his 
tory  of  the  States  and  Territories ;  one  volume  to  the  '  Black-Skins,' 


152  AMEEICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

in  which  he  sketches  with  admirable  fidelity  the  peculiarities  and  the 
iniquities  of  slave  life  in  the  South  ;  and  one  volume  to  the  '  Red- 
Skins,'  in  which  he  shows  the  Indian  tribes  as  they  are.  Besides 
these,  he  has  told  of  the  islands  of  the  West  Indies,  of  their  corsairs 
and  buccaneers,  and  of  the  social  life  of  the  various  classes  in  Amer 
ica,  native  and  immigrant,  and  has  devoted  one  amusing  volume  to 
'  American  Eccentricities.'  In  such  a  mass  of  material  there  must  of 
course  be  repetition ;  nor  are  any  of  the  views  especially  profound. 
M.  Eymar  is  in  no  sense  a  philosopher.  He  loves  story-telling  better 
than  disquisition,  and  arranges  his  material^  rather  for  romantic  effect 
than  for  scientific  accuracy." 

Finally,  we  have  the  prolific  emanations  of  the  Paris 
press  on  the  war  for  the  Union  ;  pamphlets  evoked  by  venal 
ity,  abounding  in  sophistical  arguments,  gross  misstatements, 
and  prejudice  ;  editorials  written  in  the  interest  of  partisans, 
and  a  mass  of  crude  and  unauthentic  writing  destined  to 
speedy  oblivion.  A  valuable  contribution  to  the  national  cause 
was  made,  of  late,  by  our  able  and  loyally  assiduous  consul 
at  Paris,*  in  a  volume  of  facts,  economical,  political,  and  sci 
entific,  drawn  from  the  latest  and  best  authorities,  published 
in  the  French  language,  and  affording  candid  inquirers  in 
Europe  precisely  the  kind  of  information  about  America  they 
need,  to  counteract  the  falsehood  and  malignity  of  the  advo 
cates  of  the  slaveholders'  rebellion.  Army  critics  and  corre 
spondents  from  France,  some  of  them  illustrious  and  others 
of  ephemeral  claims,  have  visited  our  shores,  and  reported 
the  momentous  crisis  through  which  the  nation  is  now  pass 
ing.  The  Prince  de  Joinville  has  given  his  experience  and 
observation  of  the  battles  of  the  Chickahominy ;  and  several 
pleasant  but  superficial  writers  have  described  some  of  the 
curious  phases  of  life  which  here  caught  their  attention,  dur 
ing  a  hasty  visit  at  this  transition  epoch.  Apart  from  viru 
lent  and  mercenary  writers,  it  is  remarkable  that  the  tone  of 
French  comment  and  criticism  on  the  present  rebellion  in 
America  has  been  far  more  intelligent,  candid,  and  sympa 
thetic  than  across  the  Channel.  Eminent  publicists  and  pro 
fessors  of  France  have  recognized  and  vindicated  the  truth, 

*  John  Bigelow,  Esq. 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  153 

and  sent  words  of  faith  and  cheer  across  the  sea.  In  his  lec 
tures,  and  extravagant  but  piquant  and  suggestive  "Paris 
dans  1'Amerique,"  Laboulaye  has  signally  promoted  that  bet 
ter  understanding  and  more  just  appreciation  of  the  struggle, 
and  the  motives  and  end  thereof,  which  now  begin  to  pre 
vail  abroad.  De  Gasparin's  "  Uprising  of  a  Great  People  " 
fell  on  American  hearts,  at  the  darkest  hour  of  the  strife, 
like  the  clarion  note  of  a  reinforcement  of  the  heroes  of 
humanity.  Cochin,  Henri  Martin,  and  others  less  eminent 
but  equally  honest  and  humane,  have  echoed  the  earnest  pro 
test  and  appeal ;  which  contrasts  singularly  with  the  indiffer 
ence,  disingenuousness,  and  perversity  of  so  many  distin 
guished  writers  and  journals  in  England.  Herein  we  per 
ceive  the  same  diversity  of  feeling  which  marks  the  earliest 
commentators  of  the  respective  nations  on  America,  and  the 
subsequent  feelings  manifested  toward  our  prosperous  repub 
lic.  Mrs.  Kemble,  in  a  recent  article  on  the  "  Stage,"  ob 
serves  that  the  theatrical  instinct  of  the  Americans  creates 
with  them  an  affinity  for  the  French,  in  which  the  English, 
hating  exhibitions  of  emotion  and  self-display,  do  not  share. 
With  all  due  deference  to  her  opinion,  it  seems  to  us  her  rea 
soning  is  quite  too  limited.  The  affinity  of  which  she  speaks, 
partial  as  it  is,  is  based  on  the  more  sympathetic  temperament 
of  these  two  races  compared  with  the  English.  The  social 
character,  the  more  versatile  experience  of  American  life, 
assimilate  it  in  a  degree,  and  externally,  with  that  of  France, 
and  the  climate  of  America  develops  nervous  sensibility ; 
while  the  exigencies  of  life  foster  an  adaptive  facility,  which 
brings  the  Anglo-American  into  more  intelligent  relations 
with  the  Gallic  nature  than  is  possible  for  a  people  so  egotis 
tic  and  stolid  as  the  English  to  realize.  But  this  partial  sym 
pathy  does  not  altogether  account  for  the  French  understand 
ing  America  better :  that  is  owing  to  a  more  liberal,  a  less 
prejudiced,  a  more  chivalric  spirit ;  to  quicker  sympathies,  to 
more  scientific  proclivities,  to  greater  candor  and  humanity 
among  her  thinkers.  They  are  far  enough  removed  in  life 
and  character  to  catch  the  true  moral  perspective  ;  and  they 


154  AMERICA  AND   HEE   COMMENTATORS. 

have  few,  if  any,  wounds  of  self-love  to  impede  their  sense 
of  justice  in  regard  to  a  country  wherewith  their  own  history 
is  often  congenially  and  honorably  associated. 

Yet  anomalous  and  sad  will  it  seem,  in  the  retrospect, 
that  to  a  nation  alien  in  blood  and  language,  we  are  indebted 
for  the  earliest  and  most  kindly  greeting  in  our  hour  of  stern 
and  sacrificial  duty  and  of  national  sorrow,  instead  of  receiv 
ing  it  (with  rare  exceptions)  from  a  people  from  whom  we 
inherit  laws,  language,  and  literature,  and  to  whom  we  are 
united  by  so  many  ties  of  lineage,  culture,  and  material 
interests. 

Humane,  just,  and  authoritative,  indeed,  is  the  language 
of  those  eminent  Frenchmen,  Agenor  de  Gasparin,  Augustin 
Cochin,  Edouard  Laboulaye,  and  Henri  Martin,  addressed  to 
a  committee  of  loyal  Americans,  in  response  to  their  grateful 
recognition  of  such  distinguished  advocacy  of  our  national 
cause ;  and  we  cannot  better  close  this  notice  of  French 
writers  on  America,  than  with  their  noble  words  : 

"  Courage!  You  have  before  you  one  of  the  most  noble  works, 
the  most  sublime  which  can  be  accomplished  here  below — a  work  in 
the  success  of  which  we  are  as  interested  as  yourselves — a  work  the 
success  of  which  will  be  the  honor  and  the  consolation  of  our  time. 

"This  generation  will  have  seen  nothing  more  grand  than  the 
abolition  of  slavery  (in  destroying  it  with  you,  you  destroy  it  every 
where),  and  the  energetic  uprising  of  a  people  which  in  the  midst  of 
its  growing  prosperity  was  visibly  sinking  under  the  weight  of  the 
tyranny  of  the  South,  the  complicity  of  the  North,  odious  laws  and 
compromises. 

"  Now,  at  the  cost  of  immense  sacrifices,  you  have  stood  up  against 
the  evil;  you  have  chosen  rather  to  pour  out  your  blood  and  your 
dollars  than  to  descend  further  the  slope  of  degradation,  where  rich, 
united,  powerful,  you  were  sure  to  lose  that  which  is  far  nobler  than 
wealth,  or  union,  or  power. 

"  Well,  Europe  begins  to  understand,  willingly  or  unwillingly, 
what  you  have  done.  In  France,  in  England,  everywhere  your  cause 
gains  ground,  and  be  it  said  for  the  honor  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
the  obstacle  which  our  ill  will  and  our  evil  passions  could  not  over 
come,  the  obstacle  which  the  intrigues  of  the  South  could  not  sur 
mount,  is  an  idea,  a  principle.  Hatred  of  slavery  has  been  your  cham 
pion  in  the  Old  World.  A  poor  champion  seemingly.  Laughed  at, 


FRENCH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  155 

scorned,  it  seems  weak  and  lonely.  But  what  matters  it ;  ere  the 
account  be  closed,  principles  will  stand  for  something,  and  conscience, 
in  all  human  affairs,  will  have  the  last  word. 

"  This,  gentlemen,  is  what  we  would  say  to  you  in  the  name  of  all 
who  with  us,  and  better  than  ourselves,  defend  your  cause  in  Europe. 
Your  words  have  cheered  us ;  may  ours  in  turn  cheer  you !  You 
have  yet  to  cross  many  a  dark  valley.  More  than  once  the  impossi 
bility  of  success  will  be  demonstrated  to 'you ;  more  than  once,  in  the 
face  of  some  military  check  or  political  difficulty,  the  cry  will  be  raised 
that  all  is  lost.  What  matters  it  to  you  ?  Strengthen  your  cause 
daily  by  daily  making  it  more  just,  and  fear  not ;  there  is  a  God 
above. 

"  We  love  to  contemplate  in  hope  the  noble  future  which  seems 
to  stretch  itself  before  you.  The  day  you  emerge  at  last  from  the 
anguish  of  civil  war — and  you  will  surely  come  out  freed  from  the 
odious  institution  which  corrupted  your  public  manners  and  degraded 
your  domestic  as  well  as  your  foreign  policy — that  day  your  whole 
country,  South  as  well  as  North,  and  the  South  perhaps  more  fully 
than  the  North,  will  enter  upon  a  wholly  new  prosperity.  European 
emigration  will  hasten  toward  your  ports,  and  will  learn  the  road  to 
those  whom  until  now  it  has  feared  to  approach.  Cultivation,  now 
abandoned,  will  renew  its  yield.  Liberty — for  these  are  her  miracles 
— will  revivify  by  her  touch  the  soil  which  slavery  had  rendered 
barren. 

"  Then  there  will  be  born  unto  you  a  greatness  nobler  and  more 
stable  than  the  old,  for  in  this  greatness  there  will  be  no  sacrifice  of 
justice." 


CHAPTER   Y. 

BRITISH    TRAVELLERS   AND    WRITERS. 

BERKELEY ;  MCSPARRAN ;  MRS.  GRANT ;  BTTRNABY ;  ROGERS  ;  BURKE ; 
DOUGLASS;  B^NRY;  EDDIS;  ANBURY;  SMYTHS. 

"  THERE  *  are  more  imposing  monuments  in  the  venerable 
precincts  of  Oxford,  recalling  the  genius  which  hallows  our 
ancestral  literature,  but  at  the  tomb  of  Berkeley  we  linger 
with  affectionate  reverence,  as  we  associate  the  gifts  of  his 
mind  and  the  graces  of  his  spirit  with  his  disinterested  and 
memorable  visit  to  our  country. 

In  1725,  Berkeley  published  his  proposals  in  explanation 
of  this  long-cherished  purpose ;  at  the  same  time  he  offered 
to  resign  his  livings,  and  to  consecrate  the  remainder  of  his 
days  to  this  Christian  undertaking.  So  magnetic  were  his 
appeal  and  example,  that  three  of  his  brother  fellows  at 
Oxford  decided  to  unite  with  him  in  the  expedition.  Many 
eminent  and  wealthy  persons  were  induced  to  contribute 
their  influence  and  money  to  the  cause.  But  he  did  not  trust 
wholly  to  such  means.  Having  ascertained  the  worth  of  a 
portion  of  the  St.  Christopher's  lands,  ceded  by  France  to 
Great  Britain  by  the  treaty  of  Utrecht,  and  about  to  be  dis 
posed  of  for  public  advantage,  he  undertook  to  realize  from 
them  larger  proceeds  than  had  been  anticipated,  and  sug- 

*  From  the  author's  "  Essays,  Biographical  and  Critical." 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  157 

gested  that  a  certain  amount  of  these  funds  should  be  de 
voted  to  his  college.  Availing  himself  of  the  friendly  inter 
vention  of  a  Venetian  gentleman  whom  he  had  known  in 
Italy,  he  submitted  the  plan  to  George  I.,  who  directed  Sir 
Robert  Walpole  to  carry  it  through  Parliament.  He  ob 
tained  a  charter  for  '  erecting  a  college,  by  name  St.  Paul's, 
in  Bermuda,  with  a  president  and  nine  fellows,  to  maintain 
and  educate  Indian  scholars,  at  the  rate  of  ten  pounds  a  year, 
George  Berkeley  to  be  the  first  president,  and  his  companions 
from  Trinity  College  the  fellows.'  His  commission  was  voted 
May  1 1th,  1 Y26.  To  the  promised  amount  of  twenty  thousand 
pounds,  to  be  derived  from  the  land  sale,  many  sums  were 
added  from  individual  donation.  The  letters  of  Berkeley  to 
his  friends,  at  this  period,  are  filled  with  the  discussion  of  his 
scheme ;  it  absorbed  his  time,  taxed  his  ingenuity,  filled  his 
heart,  and  drew  forth  the  warm  sympathy  and  earnest 
cooperation  of  his  many  admirers,  though  regret  at  the  pros 
pect  of  losing  his  society  constantly  finds  expression.  Swift, 
in  a  note  to  the  Lord  Lieutenant  of  Ireland,  says  :  '  I  do  hum 
bly  entreat  your  excellency  either  to  use  such  persuasions  as 
will  keep  one  of  the  first  men  of  the  kingdom  for  learning 
and  genius  at  home,  or  assist  him  by  your  credit  to  compass 
his  romantic  design.'  *  I  have  obtained  reports,'  says  one  of 
his  own  letters,  '  from  the  Bishop  of  London,  the  board  of 
trade  and  plantations,  and  the  attorney  and  solicitor-general ; ' 
'  yesterday  the  charter  passed  the  privy  seal ; '  '  the  lord  chan 
cellor  is  not  a  busier  man  than  myself;'  and  elsewhere,  'I 
have  had  more  opposition  from  the  governors  and  traders  to 
America  than  from  any  one  else  ;  but,  God  be  praised,  there 
is  an  end  of  all  their  narrow  and  mercantile  views  and  en 
deavors,  as  well  as  of  the  jealousies  and  suspicions  of  others, 
some  of  whom  were  very  great  men,  who  apprehended  this 
college  may  produce  an  independency  in  America,  or  at  least 
lessen  her  dependency  on  England.' 

Freneau's  ballad  of  the  '  Indian  Boy,'  who  ran  back  to 
the  woods  from  the  halls  of  learning,  was  written  subse 
quently,  or  it  might  have  discouraged  Berkeley  in  his  idea  of 


158  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

the  capacity  of  the  American  savages  for  education ;  but 
more  positive  obstacles  thwarted  his  generous  aims.  The 
king  died  before  affixing  his  seal  to  the  charter,  which  de 
layed  the  whole  proceedings.  Walpole,  efficient  as  he  was  as 
a  financier  and  a  servant  of  the  house  of  Brunswick,  was  a 
thorough  utilitarian,  and  too  practical  and  worldly  wise  to 
share  in  the  disinterested  enthusiasm  of  Berkeley.  In  his 
answer  to  Bishop  Gibson,  whose  diocese  included  the  "West 
Indies,  when  he  applied  for  the  funds  so  long  withheld,  he 
says :  '  If  you  put  the  question  to  me  as  a  minister,  I  must 
assure  you  that  the  money  shall  most  undoubtedly  be  paid  as 
soon  as  suits  with  public  convenience  ;  but  if  you  ask  me  as  a 
friend  whether  Dean  Berkeley  should  continue  in  America, 
expecting  the  payment  of  twenty  thousand  pounds,  I  advise 
him  by  all  means  to  return  to  Europe.'  To  the  project,  thus 
rendered  unattainable,  Berkeley  had  devoted  seven  years  of 
his  life,  and  the  greater  part  of  his  fortune.  The  amount 
realized  by  the  sale  of  confiscated  lands  was  about  ninety 
thousand  pounds,  of  which  eighty  thousand  were  devoted  to 
the  marriage  portion  of  the  princess  royal,  about  to  espouse 
the  Prince  of  Orange  ;  and  the  remainder,  through  the  influ 
ence  of  Oglethorpe,  was  secured  to  pay  for  the  transporta 
tion  of  emigrants  to  his  Georgia  colony.  Berkeley's  scheme 
was  more  deliberate  and  well-considered  than  is  commonly 
believed.  Horace  Walpole  calls  it  c  uncertain  and  amusing ; ' 
but  a  writer  of  deeper  sympathies  declares  it  c  too  grand  and 
pure  for  the  powers  that  were.'  His  nature  craved  the  united 
opportunities  of  usefulness  and  of  self-culture.  He  felt  the 
obligation  to  devote  himself  to  benevolent  enterprise,  and  at 
the  same  time  earnestly  desired  both  the  leisure  and  the  re 
tirement  needful  for  the  pursuit  of  abstract  studies.  The 
prospect  he  contemplated  promised  to  realize  all  these 
objects.  He  possessed  a  heart  to  feel  the  infinite  wants, 
intellectual  and  religious,  of  the  new  continent,  and  had  the 
imagination  to  conceive  the  grand  destinies  awaiting  its 
growth.  Those  who  fancy  that  his  views  were  limited  to 
the  plan  of  a  doubtful  missionary  experiment,  do  great  injus- 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  159 

tice  to  the  broad  and  elevated  hopes  he  cherished.  He  knew 
that  a  recognized  seat  of  learning  open  to  the  poor  and  un 
civilized,  and  the  varied  moral  exigencies  of  a  new  country, 
would  insure  ample  scope  for  the  exercise  of  all  his  erudition 
and  his  talents.  He  felt  that  his  mind  would  be  a  kingdom 
wherever  his  lot  was  cast ;  and  he  was  inspired  by  a  noble 
interest  in  the  progress  of  America,  and  a  faith  in  the  new 
field  there  open  for  the  advancement  of  truth,  as  is  evident 
from  the  celebrated  verses  in  which  these  feelings  found  ex 
pression  : 

'  The  Muse,  disgusted  at  an  age  and  clime 

Barren  of  every  glorious  theme, 
In  distant  lands  now  waits  a  better  time, 
Producing  subjects  worthy  fame. 

'  In  happy  climes,  when  from  the  genial  sun 

And  virgin  earth  such  scenes  ensue, 
The  force  of  art  by  nature  seems  outdone, 
And  fancied  beauties  by  the  true  ; 

t 
'  In  happy  climes,  the  seat  of  innocence, 

"Where  nature  guides  and  virtue  rules ; 
Where  men  shall  not  impose  for  truth  and  sense 
The  pedantry  of  schools  ; 

'  Then  shall  we  see  again  the  golden  age, 

The  rise  of  empire  and  of  arts, 
The  good  and  great  inspiring  epic  rage, 
The  wisest  heads  and  noblest  hearts  ;' 

'  Not  such  as  Europe  breeds  in  her  decay ; 

Such  as  she  bred  when  fresh  and  young, 
When  heavenly  flame  did  animate  her  clay, 
By  future  poets  shall  be  sung. 

'  Westward  the  course  of  empire  takes  its  way ; 

The  four  first  acts  already  past, 
A  fifth  shall  end  the  drama  with  the  day; 
Time's  noblest  offspring  is  the  last.' 

In  August,   1728,  Berkeley  married  a  daughter  of  the 
Honorable  John  Foster,  speaker  of  the  Irish  House  of  Com- 


160  AMERICA   AND   HEE   COMMENTATOKS. 

mons,  and,  soon  after,  embarked  for  America.  His  compan 
ions  were,  his  wife  and  her  friend,  Miss  Hancock ;  two  gen 
tlemen  of  fortune,  James  and  Dalton ;  and  Smibert  the 
painter.  In  a  picture  by  the  latter,  now  in  the  Trumbull 
gallery  at  New  Haven,  are  preserved  the  portraits  of  this 
group,  with  that  of  the  dean's  infant  son,  Henry,  in  his 
mother's  arms.  It  was  painted  for  a  gentleman  of  Boston, 
of  whom  it  was  purchased,  in  1808,  by  Isaac  Lothrop,  Esq., 
and  presented  to  Yale  College.  This  visit  of  Smibert  asso 
ciates  Berkeley's  name  with  the  dawn  of  art  in  America. 
They  had  travelled  together  in  Italy,  and  the  dean  induced 
him  to  join  the  expedition  partly  from  friendship,  and  also  to 
enlist  his  services  as  instructor  in  drawing  and  architecture, 
in  the  proposed  college.  Smibert  was  born  in  Edinburgh, 
about  the  year  1684,  and  served  an  apprenticeship  there  to 
a  house  painter.  He  went  to  London,  and,  from  painting 
coaches,  rose  to  copying  old  pictures  for  the  dealers.  He 
then  gave  three  years  to  the  study  of  his  art  in  Italy. 

'  Smibert,'  says  Horace  Walpole,  i  was  a  silent  and  mod 
est  man,  who  abhorred  the  finesse  of  some  of  his  profession, 
and  was  enchanted  with  a  plan  that  he  thought  promised 
tranquillity  and  an  honest  subsistence  in  a  healthy  and  elysian 
climate,  and,  in  spite  of  remonstrances,  engaged  with  the 
dean,  whose  zeal  had  ranged  the  favor  of  the  court  on  his 
side.  The  king's  death  dispelled  the  vision.  One  may  con 
ceive  how  a  man  so  devoted  to  his  art  must  have  been  ani 
mated,  when  the  dean's  enthusiasm  and  eloquence  painted  to 
his  imagination  a  new  theatre  of  prospects,  rich,  warm,  and 
glowing  with  scenery  which  no  pencil  had  yet  made  com 
mon.'  * 

Smibert  was  the  first  educated  artist  who  visited  our 
shores,  and  the  picture  referred  to,  the  first  of  more  than  a 
single  figure  executed  in  the  country.  To  his  pencil  New 
England  is  indebted  for  portraits  of  many  of  her  early  states 
men  and  clergy.  Among  others,  he  painted  for  a  Scotch 

*  "  Anecdotes  of  Painting,"  vol.  iii. 


BKITISII    TRAVELLERS    AND    WKITEES.  161 

gentleman  the  only  authentic  likeness  of  Jonathan  Edwards. 
He  married  a  lady  of  fortune  in  Boston,  and  left  her  a  widow 
with  two  children,  in  1751.  A  high  eulogium  on  his  abilities 
and  character  appeared  in  the  London  Courant.  From  two 
letters  addressed  to  him  by  Berkeley,  when  residing  at 
Cloyne,  published  in  the  Gentleman's  Magazine,  it  would 
appear  that  his  friendship  for  the  artist  continued  after  their 
separation,  as  the  bishop  urges  the  painter  to  recross  the  sea 
and  establish  himself  in  his  neighborhood. 

A  considerable  sum  of  money,  and  a  large  and  choice 
collection  of  books,  designed  as  a  foundation  for  the  library 
of  St.  Paul's  College,  were  the  most  important  items  of  the 
dean's  outfit.  In  these  days  of  rapid  transit  across  the 
Atlantic,  it  is  not  easy  to  realize  the  discomforts  and  perils 
of  such  a  voyage.  Brave  and  philanthropic,  indeed,  must 
have  been  the  heart  of  an  English  church  dignitary,  to  whom 
the  road  of  preferment  was  open,  who  was  a  favorite  com 
panion  of  the  genial  Steele,  the  classic  Addison,  and  the  bril 
liant  Pope,  who  basked  in  the  smile  of  royalty,  was  beloved 
of  the  Church,  revered  by  the  poor,  the  idol  of  society,  and 
the  peer  of  scholars ;  yet  could  shake  off  the  allurements  of 
such  a  position,  to  endure  a  tedious  voyage,  a  long  exile,  and 
the  deprivations  attendant  on  a  crude  state  of  society  and  a 
new  civilization,  in  order  to  achieve  an  object  which,  how 
ever  excellent  and  generous  in  itself,  was  of  doubtful  issue, 
and  beset  with  obstacles.  Confiding  in  the  pledges  of  those 
in  authority,  that  the  parliamentary  grant  would  be  paid 
when  the  lands  had  been  selected,  and  full  of  the  most  san 
guine  anticipations,  the  noble  pioneer  of  religion  and  letters 
approached  the  shores  of  the  New  World. 

It  seems  doubtful  to  some  of  his  biographers  whether 
Berkeley  designed  to  make  a  preliminary  visit  to  Rhode 
Island,  in  order  to  purchase  lands  there,  the  income  of  which 
would  sustain  his  Bermuda  institution.  The  vicinity  of  that 
part  of  the  New  England  coast  to  the  West  Indies  may  have 
induced  such  a  course  ;  but  it  is  declared  by  more  than  one, 
that  his  arrival  at  Newport  was  quite  accidental.  This  con- 


162  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

jecture,  however,  is  erroneous,  as  in  one  of  his  letters,  dated 
September  5th,  1728,  he  says  :  '  To-morrow,  with  God's  bless 
ing,  I  set  sail  for  Rhode  Island.'  The  captain  of  the  ship 
which  conveyed  him  from  England,  it  is  said,  was  unable  to 
discover  the  Island  of  Bermuda,  and  at  length  abandoned  the 
attempt,  and  steered  in  a  northerly  direction.  They  made 
land  which  they  could  not  identify,  and  supposed  it  inhabited 
only  by  Indians.  It  proved,  however,  to  be  Block  Island, 
and  two  fishermen  came  off  and  informed  them  of  the  vicin 
ity  of  Newport  harbor.  Under  the  pilotage  of  these  men, 
the  vessel,  in  consequence  of  an  unfavorable  wind,  entered 
what  is  called  the  West  Passage,  and  anchored.  The  fisher 
men  were  sent  ashore  with  a  letter  from  the  dean  to  Rev. 
James  Honyman.  They  landed  at  Canonicut  Island,  and 
sought  the  dwellings  of  two  parishioners  of  that  gentleman, 
who  immediately  conveyed  the  letter  to  their  pastor.  For 
nearly  half  a  century  this  faithful  clergyman  had  labored  in 
that  region.  He  first  established  himself  at  Newport,  in 
1704.  Besides  the  care  of  his  own  church,  he  made  frequent 
visits  to  the  neighboring  towns  on  the  mainland.  In  a  letter 
to  the  secretary  of  the  Episcopal  mission  in  America,  in  1709, 
he  says  :  '  You  can  neither  believe,  nor  I  express,  what  excel 
lent  services  for  the  cause  of  religion  a  bishop  would  do  in 
these  parts ;  these  infant  settlements  would  become  beautiful 
nurseries,  which  now  seem  to  languish  for  want  of  a  father 
to  oversee  and  bless  them  ; '  and  in  a  memorial  to  Governor 
Nicholson  on  the  religious  condition  of  Rhode  Island,  in 
1714,  he  observes  :  '  The  people  are  divided  among  Quakers, 
Anabaptists,  Independents,  Gortonians,  and  infidels,  with  a 
remnant  of  true  Churchmen.'  *  It  is  characteristic  of  the 
times  and  region,  that  with  a  broad  circuit  and  isolated 
churches  as  the  sphere  of  his  labors,  the  vicinity  of  Indians, 
and  the  variety  of  sects,  he  was  employed  for  two  months,  in 
1723,  in  daily  attending  a  large  number  of  pirates  who  had 

*  Hawkins's  "  Historical  Notices  of  the  Missions  of  the  Church  of  England 
in  the  North  American  Colonies,"  p.  173. 


163 

been  captured,  and  were  subsequently  executed — one  of  the 
murderous  bands  which  then  infested  the  coast,  whose  extra 
ordinary  career  has  been  illustrated  by  Cooper,  in  one  of  his 
popular  nautical  romances. 

When  Berkeley's  missive  reached  this  worthy  pastor, 
he  was  in  his  pulpit,  it  being  a  holiday.  He  immediately 
read  the  letter  to  his  congregation,  and  dismissed  them. 
Nearly  all  accompanied  him  to  the  ferry  wharf,  which  they 
reached  but  a  few  moments  before  the  arrival  of  the  dean 
and  his  fellow  voyagers.  A  letter  from  Newport,  dated 
January  24th,  1729,  that  appeared  in  the  New  England 
Journal,  published  at  Boston,  thus  notices  the  event :  '  Yes 
terday  arrived  here  Dean  Berkeley,  of  Londonderry,  in  a 
pretty  large  ship.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  middle  stature,  and 
of  an  agreeable,  pleasant,  and  erect  aspect.  He  was  ushered 
into  the  town  by  a  great  number  of  gentlemen,  to  whom  he 
behaved  himself  after  a  very  complaisant  manner.  "Pis  said 
he  purposes  to  tarry  here  about  three  months.' 

We  can  easily  imagine  the  delightful  surprise  which 
Berkeley  acknowledges  at  first  view  of  that  lovely  bay  and 
the  adjacent  country.  The  water  tinted,  in  the  clear  autumn 
air,  like  the  Mediterranean  ;  the  fields  adorned  with  symmet 
rical  haystacks  and  golden  maize,  and  bounded  by  a  lucid 
horizon,  against  which  rose  picturesque  windmills  and  the 
clustered  dwellings  of  the  town,  and  the  noble  trees  which 
then  covered  the  island ;  the  bracing  yet  tempered  atmos 
phere,  all  greeted  the  senses  of  those  weary  voyagers,  and 
kindled  the  grateful  admiration  of  their  romantic  leader. 
He  soon  resolved  upon  a  longer  sojourn,  and  purchased  a 
farm  of  a  hundred  acres  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  whereon 
stood  the  dwelling  of  Honyman,  and  which  still  bears  his 
name.* 

There  he  erected  a  modest  homestead,  with  philosophic 
taste  choosing  the  valley,  in  order  to  enjoy  the  fine  view  from 

*  The  conveyance  from  Joseph  Whipple  and  wife  to  Berkeley,  of  the  land 
in  Newport,  is  dated  February  18th,  1729. 


164:  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

the  summit  occasionally,  rather  than  lose  its  charm  by 
familiarity.  At  a  sufficient  distance  from  the  town  to  insure 
immunity  from  idle  visitors  ;  within  a  few  minutes'  walk  of 
the  sea,  and  girdled  by  a  fertile  vale,  the  student,  dreamer, 
and  missionary  pitched  his  humble  tent  where  nature  offered 
her  boundless  refreshment,  and  seclusion  her  contemplative 
peace.  His  first  vivid  impressions  of  the  situation,  and  of 
the  difficulties  and  consolations  of  his  position,  are  described 
in  the  few  letters,  dated  at  Newport,  which  his  biographer 
cites.  At  this  distance  of  time,  and  in  view  of  the  subse 
quent  changes  of  that  region,  it  is  both  curious  and  interest 
ing  to  revert  to  these  incidental  data  of  Berkeley's  visit. 

'  NEWPORT,  IN  RHODE  ISLAND,  April  24, 1729. 

'  I  can  by  this  time  say  something  to  you,  from  my  own  expe 
rience,  of  tins  place  and  its  people.  The  inhabitants  are  of  a  mixed 
kind,  consisting  of  many  sects  and  subdivisions  of  sects.  Here  are 
four  sorts  of  Anabaptists,  besides  Presbyterians,  Quakers,  Indepen 
dents,  and  many  of  no  profession  at  all.  Notwithstanding  so  many 
differences,  here  are  fewer  quarrels  about  religion  than  elsewhere, 
the  people  living  peacefully  with  their  neighbors  of  whatever  per 
suasion.  They  all  agree  in  one  point — that  the  Church  of  England 
is  the  second  best.  The  climate  is  like  that  of  Italy,  and  not  at  all 
colder  in  the  winter  than  I  have  known  everywhere  north  of  Eome. 
The  spring  is  late,  but,  to  make  amends,  they  assure  me  the  au 
tumns  are  the  finest  and  the  longest  in  the  world ;  and  the  sum 
mers  are  much  pleasanter  than  those  of  Italy  by  all  accounts,  foras 
much  as  the  grass  continues  green,  which  it  does  not  there.  This 
island  is  pleasantly  laid  out  in  hills  and  vales  and  rising  ground,  hath 
plenty  of  excellent  springs  and  fine  rivulets,  and  many  delightful 
rocks,  and  promontories,  and  adjacent  lands.  The  provisions  are 
very  good  ;  so  are  the  fruits,  which  are  quite  neglected,  though  vines 
sprout  of  themselves  of  an  extraordinary  size,  and  seem  as  natural 
to  this  soil  as  any  I  ever  saw.  The  town  of  Newport  contains  about 
six  thousand  souls,  and  is  the  most  thriving  place  in  all  America  for 
its  bigness.  I  was  never  more  agreeably  surprised  than  at  the  first 
sight  of  the  town  and  its  harbor.' 

'  June  12,  1729. — I  find  it  hath  been  reported  in  Ireland  that 
we  intend  settling  here.  I  must  desire  you  to  discountenance  any 
such  report.  The  truth  is,  if  the  king's  bounty  were  paid  in,  and  the 
charter  could  be  removed  hither,  I  should  like  it  better  than  Ber- 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND    WRITERS.  165 

muda.  But  if  this  were  questioned  before  the  payment  of  said 
money,  it  might  perhaps  hinder  it  and  defeat  all  our  designs.  I 
snatch  this  moment  to  write,  and  have  time  only  to  add  that  I  have 
got  a  son,  who,  I  thank  G-od,  is  likely  to  live.' 

'  May  7. — This  week  I  received  a  package  from  you  ma  Phila 
delphia,  the  postage  of  which  amounted  to  above  four  pounds  ster 
ling  of  this  country  money.  I  am  worried  to  death  by  creditors,  and 
am  at  an  end  of  patience,  and  almost  out  of  iny  wits.  Our  little  son 
is  a  great  joy  to  us :  we  are  such  fools  as  to  think  him  the  most  per 
fect  thing  of  the  kind  we  ever^saw.' 

To  the  poet,  scenery  of  picturesque  beauty  and  grand 
eur  is  desirable,  but  to  the  philosopher  general  effects  are 
more  congenial.  High  mountains,  forests,  and  waterfalls 
appeal  more  emphatically  to  the  former,  and  luxuries  of  cli 
mate  and  atmosphere  .to  the  latter.  Accordingly,  the  soft 
marine  air  and  the  beautiful  skies  of  summer  and  autumn,  in 
the  region  of  Berkeley's  American  home,  with  the  vicinity 
of  the  seacoast,  became  to  him  a  perpetual  delight.  He 
alludes,  with  grateful  sensibility,  to  the  '  pleasant  fields,'  and 
'  walks  on  the  beach,'  to  '  the  expanse  of  ocean  studded  with 
fishing  boats  and  lighters,'  and  the  '  plane  trees,'  that  daily 
cheered  his  sight,  as  awakening  c  that  sort  of  joyful  instinct 
which  a  rural  scene  and  fine  weather  inspire.'  He  calls  New 
port  '  the  Montpelier  of  America,'  and  appears  to  have  com 
muned  with  nature  and  inhaled  the  salubrious  breeze,  while 
pursuing  his  meditations,  with  all  the  zest  of  a  healthy 
organization  and  a  susceptible  and  observant  mind.  A  few 
ravines  finely  wooded,  and  with  fresh  streams  purling  over 
rocky  beds,  vary  the  alternate  uplands  ;  from  elevated  points 
a  charming  distribution  of  water  enlivens  the  prospect ;  and 
the  shore  is  indented  with  high  cliffs,  or  rounded  into  grace 
ful  curves.  The  sunsets  are  remarkable  for  a  display  of  gor 
geous  and  radiant  clouds  ;  the  wide  sweep  of  pasture  is  only 
broken  by  low  ranges  of  stone  wall,  clumps  of  sycamores, 
orchards,  haystacks,  and  mill  towers  ;  and  over  luxuriant  clo 
ver  beds,  tasselled  maize,  or  fallow  acres,  plays,  for  two  thirds 
of  the  year,  a  southwestern  breeze,  chastened  and  moistened 
by  the  Gulf  Stream. 


166  AMERICA   AND   HEK    COMMENTATORS. 

Intercourse  with  Boston  was  then  the  chief  means  on 
the  island  of  acquiring  political  and  domestic  news.  A  brisk 
trade  was  carried  on  between  the  town  and  the  West  Indies, 
France,  England,  and  the  Low  Countries,  curious  memorials 
of  which  are  still  visible,  in  some  of  the  old  mansions,  in  the 
shape  of  china  and  glass  ware,  of  obsolete  patterns,  and  faded 
specimens  of  rich  brocade.  A  sturdy  breed  of  Narraganset 
ponies  carried  fair  equestrians  from  one  to  another  of  the 
many  hospitable  dwellings  scattered  over  the  fields,  on  which 
browsed  sheep  and  cackled  geese,  still  famous  in  epicurean 
reminiscence  ;  while  tropical  fruits  were  constantly  imported, 
and  an  abundance  and  variety  of  fish  and  fowl  rewarded  the 
most  careless  sportsman.  Thus  blessed  by  nature,  the  acci 
dental  home  of  the  philosophic  dean  soon  won  his  affection. 
Intelligent  members  of  all  denominations  united  in  admira 
tion  of  his  society  and  attendance  upon  his  preaching.  With 
one  neighbor  he  dined  every  Sunday,  to  the  child  of  another 
he  became  godfather,  and  with  a  third  took  counsel  for  the 
establishment  of  the  literary  club  which  founded  the  Red 
wood  Library.  It  was  usual  then  to  see  the  broad  brim  of 
the  Quakers  in  the  aisles  of  Trinity  Church ;  and,  as  an  in 
stance  of  his  emphatic  yet  tolerant  style,  it  is  related  that  he 
once  observed,  in  a  sermon,  '  Give  the  devil  his  due :  John 
Calvin  was  a  great  man.'  *  We  find  him,  at  one  time,  writing 
a  letter  of  encouragement  to  a  Huguenot  preacher  of  Provi 
dence,  and,  at  another,  visiting  Narraganset  with  Smibert  to 
examine  the  aboriginal  inhabitants.  His  own  opinion  of  the 
race  was  given  in  the  discourse  on  '  The  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts,'  delivered  in  London  on  his  return. 
To  the  ethnologist  it  may  be  interesting,  in  reference  to  this 
subject,  to  revert  to  the  anecdote  of  the  portrait  painter  cited 
by  Dr.  Barton.  He  had  been  employed  by  the  Grand  Duke 
of  Tuscany  to  paint  two  or  three  Siberian  Tartars,  presented 
to  that  prince  by  the  Czar  of  Russia ;  and,  on  first  landing  in 
Narraganset  with  Berkeley,  he  instantly  recognized  the  In- 

*  Updike's  "  History  of  the  Narraganset  Church." 


BRITISH    TRAVELLERS    AND    WRITERS.  167 

dians  there  as  the  same  race  as  the  Siberian  Tartars — an  opin 
ion  confirmed  by  Wolff,  the  celebrated  Eastern  traveller. 

During  his  residence  at  Newport,  Berkeley  became  ac 
quainted  with  the  Rev.  Jared  Elliot,  one  of  the  trustees  of 
Yale  College,  and  with  the  Rev.  Samuel  Johnson,  an  Episco 
pal  minister  of  Stratford,  Conn.,  who  informed  him  of  the 
condition,  prospects,  and  wants  of  that  institution.  He  after 
ward  opened  a  correspondence  on  the  subject  with  Rector 
Williams,  and  was  thus  led,  after  the  failure  of  his  own  col 
lege  scheme,  to  make  his  generous  donations  to  a  seminary 
already  established.  He  had  previously  presented  the  col 
lege  with  a  copy  of  his  writings.  In  1732,  he  sent  from 
England  a  deed  of  his  farm  in  Rhode  Island,  and,  the  con 
ditions  and  descriptions  not  being  satisfactory,  he  sent,  the 
ensuing  year,  another  deed,  by  which  it  was  provided  that 
the  rents  of  his  lands  should  be  devoted  to  the  education  of 
three  young  men,  the  best  classical  scholars ;  the  candidates 
to  be  examined  annually,  on  the  6th  of  May ;  in  case  of  dis 
agreement  among  the  examiners,  the  competitors  to  decide 
by  lot ;  and  all  surplus  funds  to  be  used  for  the  purchase  of 
classical  books.  Berkeley  also  gave  to  the  library  a  thousand 
volumes,  which  cost  over  four  hundred  pounds — the  most 
valuable  collection  of  books  then  brought  together  in  Amer 
ica.  They  were  chiefly  his  own  purchase,  but  in  part  con 
tributed  by  his  friends.  One  of  the  graduates  of  Yale,  edu* 
cated  under  the  Berkeley  scholarship,  was  Dr.  Buckminster, 
of  Portsmouth,  N.  H.  Unfortunately,  the  income  of  the 
property  at  Newport  is  rendered  much  less  than  it  might  be 
by  the  terms  of  a  long  lease.  This  liberality  of  the  Bishop 
of  Cloyne  was  enhanced  by  the  absence  of  sectarian  preju 
dice  in  his  choice  for  the  stewardship  of  his  bounty  of  a  col 
legiate  institution  where  different  tenets  are  inculcated  from 
those  he  professed.  That  he  was  personally  desirous  of  in 
creasing  his  own  denomination  in  America,  is  sufficiently 
evinced  by  the  letter  in  which  he  directs  the  secretary  of  the 
Episcopal  mission  there  to  appropriate  a  balance  originally 
contributed  to  the  Bermuda  scheme.  This  sum  had  remained 


168  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

at  his  banker's  for  many  years  unclaimed,  and  he  suggests 
that  part  of  it  should  be  devoted  to  a  gift  of  books  for  Har 
vard  University,  '  as  a  proper  means  to  inform  their  judg 
ment,  and  dispose  them  to  think  better  of  our  church.'  His 
interest  in  classical  education  on  this  side  of  the  water  is  also 
manifested*  in  a  letter  advocating  the  preeminence  of  those 
studies  in  .Columbia  College.* 

It  is  a  remarkable  coincidence  that  Berkeley  should  have 
taken  up  his  abode  in  Rhode  Island,  and  thus  completed  the 
representative  character  of  the  most  tolerant  religious  com 
munity  in  New  England,  by  the  presence  of  an  eminent  Epis 
copal  dignitary.  A  principal  reason  of  the  variety,  the  free 
dom,  and  the  peace  of  religious  opinion  there,  to  which  he 
alludes,  is  the  fact  that,  through  the  liberal  wisdom  and  fore 
sight  of  Roger  Williams,  that  State  had  become  an  asylum 
for  the  persecuted  of  all  denominations  from  the  neighboring 
provinces  ;  but  another  cause  may  be  found  in  the  prevalence 
of  the  Quakers,  whose  amiable  tenets  and  gentle  spirit  sub 
dued  the  rancor  and  bigotry  of  fanaticism.  Several  hundred 
Jews,  still  commemorated  by  their  cemetery  and  synagogue, 
allured  by  the  prosperous  trade  and  the  tolerant  genius  of 
the  place,  added  still  another  feature  to  the  varied  popula 
tion.  The  lenity  of  Penn  toward  the  aborigines,  and  the 
fame  of  Fox,  had  given  dignity  to  the  denomination  of 
Friends,  and  their  domestic  culture  was  refined  as  well  as 
morally  superior.  Enterprise  in  the  men  who,  in  a  neighbor 
ing  State,  originated  the  whale  fishery,  and  beauty  among  the 
women  of  that  sect,  are  traditional  in  Rhode  Island.  We 
were  reminded  of  Berkeley's  observations  in  regard  to  the 
natural  productions  of  the  country,  during  a  recent  visit  to 
the  old  farmhouse  where  he  resided.  An  enormous  wild 
grapevine  had  completely  veiled  what  formed  the  original 

*  "  I  am  glad  to  find  a  spirit  toward  learning  prevails  in  these  parts,  par 
ticularly  in  New  York,  where,  you  say,  a  college  is  projected,  which  has  my 
best  wishes.  Let  the  Greek  and  Latin  classics  be  well  taught ;  be  this  the 
first  care  as  to  learning." — BERKELEY'S  Letter  to  Johnson. — MOORE'S  Sketch  of 
Columbia  College,  New  York,  1846. 


BEITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  169 

entrance  to  the  humble  dwelling ;  and  several  ancient  apple 
trees  in  the  orchard,  with  boughs  mossy  with  time,  and 
gnarled  by  the  ocean  gales,  showed,  in  their  sparse  fruit  and 
matted  tivigs,  the  utter  absence  of  the  pruning  knife.  The 
dwelling  itself  is  built,  after  the  manner  common  to  farm 
houses  a  century  ago,  entirely  of  wood,  with  low  ceilings, 
broad  fireplace,  and  red  cornice.  The  only  traces  of  the  old 
country  were  a  few  remaining  tiles,  with  obsolete  designs, 
around  the  chimney  piece.  But  the  deep  and  crystal  azure 
of  the  sea  gleamed  beyond  corn  field  and  sloping  pasture ; 
sheep  grazed  in  the  meadows,  hoary  rocks  bounded  the  pros 
pect,  and  the  mellow  crimson  of  sunset  lay  warm  on  grass 
slope  and  paddock,  as  when  the  kindly  philosopher  mused  by 
the  shore  with  Plato  in  hand,  or  noted  a  metaphysical  dia 
logue  in  the  quiet  and  ungarnished  room  which  overlooks  the 
rude  garden.  Though,  as  he  declares,  4  for  every  private  rea 
son  '  he  preferred  '  Deny  to  New  England,'  pleasant  was  the 
abode,  and  grateful  is  the  memory  of  Berkeley,  in  this  rural 
seclusion.  A  succession  of  green  breastworks  along  the  brow 
of  the  hill  beneath  which  his  domicile  nestles,  by  reminding 
the  visitor  of  the  retreat  of  the  American  forces  under  Gen 
eral  Sullivan,  brings  vividly  to  his  mind  the  Revolution,  and 
its  incalculable  influence  upon  the  destinies  of  a  land  which 
so  early  won  the  intelligent  sympathy  of  Berkeley ;  while 
the  name  of  Whitehall,  which  he  gave  to  this  peaceful  do 
main,  commemorates  that  other  revolution  in  his  own  coun 
try,  wherein  the  loyalty  of  his  grandfather  drove  his  family 
into  exile.  But  historical  soon  yield  to  personal  recollections, 
when  we  consider  the  memorials  of  his  sojourn.  We  asso 
ciate  this  landscape  with  his  studies  and  his  benevolence ; 
and,  when  the  scene  was  no  longer  blessed  with  his  presence, 
his  gifts  remained  to  consecrate  his  memory.  In  old  Trinity, 
the  organ  he  bestowed  peals  over  the  grave  of  his  firstborn 
in  the  adjoining  burial  ground.  A  town  in  Massachusetts 
bears  his  name.  Not  long  since,  a  presentation  copy  of  his 
4  Minute  Philosopher '  was  kept  on  the  table  of  an  old  lady 
of  Newport,  with  reverential  care.  In  one  family,  his  gift 
8 


170  AMERICA   AND   HEE   COMMENTATOES. 

of  a  richly  wrought  silver  coffee  pot,  and,  in  another,  that  of 
a  diamond  ring,  are  cherished  heirlooms.  His  rare  and  costly 
books  were  distributed-  ^t  his  departure,  among  the  resident 
clergy.  His  scholarship  at  New  Haven  annually  furnishes 
recruits  to  our  church,  bar,  or  medical  faculty.  In  an  adja 
cent  parish,  the  sacramental  cup  was  his  donative.  His  leg 
acy  of  ingenious  thoughts  and  benign  sentiment  is  associated 
with  hanging  rocks  that  are  the  seaward  boundary  of  his 
farm ;  his  Christian  ministry  with  the  ancient  church,  and 
his  verse  with  the  progress  of  America." 

A  brave  clerical  resident  of  South  Kingston,  R.  I.,  where 
he  died  in  1757,  wrote  a  brief  but  useful  and  interesting 
account  of  the  English  settlements  in  America.  He  de 
scribes,  in  a  series  of  letters,  the  Bermudas,  Georgia,  and  the 
northern  dominions  of  the  crown  as  far  as  Newfoundland. 
As  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  America, 
an  intimate  friend  of  Berkeley,  and  a  respected  and  efficient 
minister  of  Narraganset,  the  Rev.  James  McSparren's  "  His 
torical  Tract "  has  a  special  authority  and  attraction. 

One  of  the  most  pleasing  and  naive  memorials  of  social 
life  in  the  province  of  New  York  in  her  palmy  colonial  days,  is 
to  be  found  in  the  reminiscences  of  Mrs.  Grant,  a  daughter  of 
Duncan  McVickar,  an  officer  of  the  British  army,  who  came 
to  America  on  duty  in  1757.  This  estimable  lady,  in  the 
freshness  of  her  youth,  resided  in  Albany,  and  was  intimate 
with  Madam  Schuyler,  widow  of  Colonel  Philip  Schuyler,  and 
aunt  to  the  general  of  the  same  name  so  prominent  in  the 
war  of  the  Revolution.  The  four  years  which  Mrs.  Grant 
passed  in  America,  made  an  indelible  and  charming  impres 
sion  on  her  mind.  She  married  the  Rev.  James  Grant,  of 
Laggan,  Invernesshire,  and,  in  1801,  was  left  a  widow  with 
eight  children.  Nine  years  after,  she  removed  to  Edinburgh, 
where  she  became  the  centre  of  a  literary  and  friendly  circle, 
often  graced  by  the  presence  of  Sir  Walter  Scott  and  other 
celebrities.  He  secured  her  a  pension  of  a  hundred  pounds. 
Mrs.  Grant's  conversation  was  of  unusual  interest,  owing  to 
her  long  experience,  and,  for  that  period,  varied  reading. 


BRITISH    TRAVELLERS    AND   WRITERS.  171 

She  was  ambitious  of  literary  distinction.  Her  "  Letters 
from  the  Mountains,"  for  their  descriptive  ability  and  inde 
pendent  tone,  won  no  inconsiderable  popularity.  Jeffrey  re 
marks  that  her  "  poetry  is  not  very  good  ; "  while  Moir  pays 
her  the  somewhat  equivocal  compliment  of  declaring  that  she 
"  respectably  assisted  in  sustaining  the  honors  of  the  Scottish 
Muse."  But  she  is  chiefly  remembered  as  a  writer  by  her 
"  Memoirs,"  and  they  have  served  many  novelists,  historians, 
and  biographers  as  a  little  treasury  of  facts  wherewith  to 
delineate  the  life  and  the  scenery  of  those  days,  not  else 
where  obtainable.  Notwithstanding  his  moderate  estimate 
of  her  other  literary  efforts,  Jeffrey  gave  Mrs.  Grant  credit, 
in  the  Edinburgh  Review,  for  this  autobiography,  as  "  a  very 
animated  picture  of  that  sort  of  simple,  tranquil,  patriarchal 
life,  which  was  common  enough  within  these  hundred  years 
in  the  central  parts  of  England,  but  of  which  we  are  rather 
inclined  to  think  there  is  no  specimen  left  in  the  world."  It 
was  not,  however,  merely  the  reproduction  of  this  attractive 
and  primitive  kind  of  life  that  lent  a  charm  to  these  Me 
moirs.  Many  of  the  features  of  that  Albany  community,  its 
habits,  exigencies,  and  aspects,  were  novel  and  curious ;  and 
the  lively  record  thereof  from  the  vivid  impressions  of  such 
a  woman,  at  her  susceptible  age,  gives  us  a  remarkably  clear 
though  perhaps  somewhat  romantic  idea  of  what  the  mano 
rial  and  colonial  life  of  the  State  of  New  York  was,  and 
wherein  it  differed  from  that  of  Virginia  and  New  England. 

In  her  day,  the  amiable  and  intelligent  author  of  the 
"Memoirs  of  an  American  Lady"  enjoyed  no  little  social 
consideration  from  her  literary  efforts — unusual  as  such  a  dis 
tinction  was  with  her  sex  at  that  period— and  from  her  kindly 
and  dignified  character.  De  Quincey,  when  quite  a  youth, 
met  her  in  a  stage  coach,  and  cherished  very  agreeable  recol 
lections  of  her  manners.  "I  retain  the  impression,"  he 
writes,  "  of  the  benignity  which  she,  an  established  wit,  and 
just  then  receiving  incense  from  all  quarters,  showed,  in  her 
manners,  to  me,  a  person  utterly  unknown." 


172  AMEKICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

According  to  Mrs.  Grant, 

"  The  summer  amusements  of  the  young  were  simple,  healthful, 
and  joyous.  Their  principal  pleasure  consisted  in  what  we  now  call 
picnics,  enjoyed  either  upon  the  beautiful  islands  in  the  river  near 
Albany,  which  were  then  covered  with  grass  and  shrubbery,  tall 
trees  and  clustering  vines,  or  in  the  forests  on  the  hills.  "When  the 
warm  days  of  spring  and  early  summer  appeared,  a  company  of 
young  men  and  maidens  would  set  out  at  sunrise  in  a  canoe  for  the 
islands,  or  in  light  wagons  for  '  the  bush,'  where  they  would  fre 
quently  meet  a  similar  party  on  the  same  delightful  errand.  Each 
maiden,  taught  from  early  childhood  to  be  industrious,  would  take 
her  work  basket  with  her,  and  a  supply  of  tea,  sugar,  coffee,  and 
other  materials  for  a  frugal  breakfast,  while  the  young  men  carried 
some  rum  and  dried  fruit  to  make  a  light,  cool  punch  for  a  midday 
beverage.  But  no  previous  preparations  were  made  for  dinner,  ex 
cept  bread  and  cold  pastry,  it  being  expected  that  the  young  men 
would  bring  an  ample  supply  of  game  and  fish  from  the  woods  and 
the  waters,  provision  having  been  made  by  the  girls  of  apparatus  for 
cooking,  the  use  of  which  was  familiar  to  them  all.  After  dinner, 
the  company  would  pair  off  in  couples,  according  to  attachments  and 
affinities,  sometimes  brothers  and  sisters  together,  and  sometimes 
warm  friends  or  ardent  lovers,  and  stroll  in  all  directions,  gathering 
wild  strawberries  or  other  fruit  in  summer,  and  plucking  the  abun 
dant  flowers,  to  be  arranged  into  bouquets  to  adorn  their  little  par 
lors  and  give  much  pleasure  to  their  parents.  Sometimes  they  would 
remain  abroad  until  sunset,  and  take  tea  in  the  open  air ;  or  they 
would  call  upon  some  friend  on  their  way  home,  and  partake  of  a 
light  evening  meal.  In  all  this  there  appeared  no  conventional  re 
straints  upon  the  innocent  inclinations  of  nature.  The  day  was 
always  remembered  as  one  of  pure  enjoyment,  without  the  passage 
of  a  single  cloud  of  regret." 

In  1759-'60,  a  kindly  and  cultivated  minister  of,  the 
Church  of  England  made  a  tour  of  intelligent  observation  in 
the  Middle  States ;  and  fifteen  years  after,  when  the  aliena 
tion  of  the  colonies  from  Great  Britain  had  passed  from  a 
speculative  to  a  practical  fact,  this  amiable  divine  gave  to  the 
public  the  narrative  of  his  Amerian  journey.  There  is  a 
pleasant  tone,  a  wise  and  educated  spirit  in  this  record,  which 
make  ample  amends  for  the  obvious  influences  of  the  writer's 
religious  and  political  views  upon  his  impressions  of  the  coun- 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  173 

try  and  the  people.  The  Rev.  Andrew  Burnaby  was  a  native  of 
Lancastershire,  an  eleve  of  Westminster  School,  and  a  graduate 
of  Queen's  College,  Cambridge.  He  became  vicar  of  Green 
wich  in  1769,  and  obtained  credit  as  an  author  by  a  volume 
of  sermons,  and  an  account  of  a  visit  to  Corsica.  His  book 
on  America  was  "  praised  and  valued  "  as  a  fair  and  agree 
able  report  of  "  the  state  of  the  colonies "  then  called  the 
"Middle  Settlements."  The  author  states,  in  his  preface, 
that  its  appearance  during  "  the  present  difficulties  "  may  ex 
pose  him  to  misrepresentation  ;  but  he  asserts  the  candor  of 
his  motives,  and  frankly  declares  that,  while  his  "  first  attach 
ment  "  is  for  his  native  country,  his  second  is  to  America. 

Burnaby  landed  from  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  his  book  (a 
thin  quarto)  opens  with  a  description  of  Virginia,  where  he 
sojourned  with  Colonel  Washington.  He  is  struck  with  the 
efficiency  of  lightning  rods,  and  the  efficacy  of  snakeroot,  and 
with  the  abundance  of  peaches,  which  are  given  as  food  to 
the  hogs.  He  describes  the  variety  of  squirrels,  the  indige 
nous  plants  and  birds,  the  ores  and  crops  of  the  Old  Domin 
ion.  The  women  there,  he  says,  "  are  immoderately  fond  of 
dancing,  and  seldom  read  or  endeavor  to  improve  their 
minds."  He  notes  the  "  prodigious  tracts  of  land  "  belong-  \ 
ing  to  individuals,  and  then  a  wilderness,  and,  like  so  many  | 
other  travellers  there,  is  impressed  with  the  comparative  im 
provident  habits  of  the  people.  "  The  Virginians,"  he  says, 
"  are  content  to  live  from  hand  to  mouth.  Tobacco  is  their 
chief  staple,  and  they  cultivate  enough  to  pay  their  mer 
chants  in  London  for  supplying  those  wants  which  their  plan 
tations  do  not  directly  satisfy."  On  the  other  hand,  he  cele 
brates  the  virtuous  contentment  "of  the  German  settlers  on 
the  low  grounds  of  the  Shenandoah.  Their  freedom,  tran 
quillity,  and  "  few  vices  "  atone,  in  his  estimation,  for  the 
absence  of  elegance.  He  attended  a  theatre  in  a  "  tobacco 
house  "  at  Marlborough,  and  enjoyed  a  sixteen  hours'  sai] 
along  the  Chesapeake  to  Frederickstown.  "  Never,"  he 
writes,  "  in  my  life,  have  I  spent  a  day  more  agreeably  or 
with  higher  entertainment."  Much  of  this  zest  is  to  be 


AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

ascribed  to  the  good  clergyman's  enjoyment  of  scenery,  fresh 
air,  and  fine  weather.  The  streams,  the  woods,  and  the 
mountains  of  the  New  World  elicit  his  constant  admiration. 
A  salient  trait  of  his  journal  is  the  positive  character  he  con 
fidently  assigns  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  different  colonies. 
Sometimes  it  is  evident  that  their  respective  religious  and 
political  tendencies  enlist  or  repel  his  sympathies,  and  there 
fore  modify  his  judgment,  but,  at  other  times,  his  opinion 
seems  to  be  the  result  of  candid  observation  ;  and  it  is  inter 
esting  to  compare  what  he  says  on  this  subject,  with  later 
estimates  and  present  local  reputations.  Of  Philadelphia  he 
remarks  :  "  There  is  a  public  market  held  twice  a  week, 
almost  equal  to  Leadenhall.  The  people  there  are  quiet, 
and  intent  on  money  getting,  and  the  women  are  decidedly 
handsome."  He  notes  the  stocking  manufacture  of  the  Ger 
mans,  and  the  linen  made  by  the  Irish  in  Pennsylvania.  He 
thinks  the  New  Jersey  people  "  of  a  more  liberal  turn  than 
these  neighbors  of  theirs,"  and  is  enthusiastic  about  the  Falls 
of  the  Passaic.  He  recognizes  but  two  churches  in  New 
York — Trinity  and  St.  George's — and  declares  the  women 
there  "  more  reserved "  than  those  of  the  colony  of  Penn. 
He  speaks  of  a  memorable  social  custom  of  New  York — 
"  turtle  feasts,"  held  at  houses  on  the  East  River,  where,  also, 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  to  the  number  of  thirty  or  forty,  were 
in  the  habit  of  meeting  "  to  drink  tea  in  the  afternoon,"  and 
return  to  town  "  in  Italian  chaises,"  one  gentleman  and  one 
lady  in  each.  The  good  doctor  evidently  is  charmed  with 
these  snug  arrangements  for  a  legitimate  tete-a-tete,  and  men 
tions,  in  connection  therewith,  a  practice  not  accordant  with 
the  greater  reserve  he  elsewhere  attributes  to  the  New  York 
belles.  "  In  the  way "  (from  these  turtle  feasts  and  tea 
drinkings),  "  about  three  miles  from  New  York,  there  is  a 
bridge,  which  you  pass  over  as  you  return,  called  the  Kissing 
Bridge,  where  it  is  part  of  the  etiquette  to  salute  the  lady 
who  has  put  herself  under  your  protection." 

Like  most  Englishmen,  Burnaby  finds  a  rare  combination 
of  scenery,  climate,  and  resources  on  Long  Island,  and  makes 


BRITISH    TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  175 

especial  mention  of  one  feature.  "  About  sixteen  miles  from 
the  west  end  of  it  there  opens  a  large  plain,  between  twenty 
and  thirty  miles  long  and  four  or  five  miles  broad.  There  is 
not  a  tree  growing  upon  it,  and  it  is  asserted  there  never  was. 
Strangers  are  always  carried  to  see  this  plain,  as  a  great  curi 
osity,  and  the  only  one  of  the  kind  in  North  America." 
What  would  he  have  thought  of  a  Western  prairie  ? 

He  is  reminded  in  Hellgate  of  Scylla  and  Charybdis  ;  and 
the  aspect  and  climate  of  Newport,  R.  I.,  charm  him. 
"  There  is  a  public  library  here,"  he  writes,  "  built  in  the 
form  of  a  Grecian  temple,  and  by  no  means  inelegant."  The 
Quakers,  the  Jews,  and  the  fortified  islands  are  duly  noted ; 
but  the  multiplicity  of  sects  in  the  Providence  Plantations 
evidently  does  not  conciliate  the  doctor's  favorable  opinion. 
He  speaks  of  the  buttonwood  trees,  then  so  numerous  and 
flourishing  on  the  island  ;  "  spruce  pines,"  and  the  beer  made 
from  their  "  tender  twigs  ; "  of  the  abundant  and  excellent 
fish,  and  hardy  sheep,  as  well  as  of  the  superior  butter  and 
cheese.  Of  Newport  commerce  then,  he  says :  "  They  im 
port  from  Holland,  money ;  from  Great  Britain,  drygoods ; 
from  Africa,  slaves  ;  from  the  West  Indies,  sugar,  coffee,  and 
molasses ;  and  from  the  neighboring  colonies,  lumber  and 
provisions."  Of  manufactures  he  observes,  "  they  distil 
rum,  and  make  spermaceti  candles."  The  people  of  Rhode 
Island,  he  declares,  "  are  cunning,  deceitful,  and  selfish,  and 
live  by  unfair  and  illicit  trading.  The  magistrates  are  partial 
and  corrupt,  and  wink  at  abuses."  All  this  he  ascribes  to 
their  form  of  government ;  for  "  men  in  power  entirely  de 
pend  011  the  people,  and  it  has  happened  more  than  once  that 
a  person  has  had  influence  to  procure  a  fresh  emission  of 
paper  money  solely  to  defraud  his  creditors."  It  is  obvious 
that  the  Churchman  leans  toward  the  Proprietary  form  of 
rule  then  existent  in  Maryland,  and  the  manorial  state  of 
society  farther  south ;  but  he  concludes  his  severe  criticism 
of  the  Rhode  Islanders  with  a  candid  qualification  :  "  I  have 
said  so  much  to  the  disadvantage  of  this  colony,  that  I  should 
be  guilty  of  great  injustice  were  I  not  to  declare  that  there 


176  AMERICA   AND   HEK   COMMENTATORS. 

are  many  worthy  gentlemen  in  it."  Although  forty  years 
had  elapsed  since  the  benevolent  and  ingenious  Bishop  of 
Cloyne  had  left  Newport,  the  beneficent  traces  of  his  pres 
ence  and  the  anecdotical  traditions  of  his  character  still  pre 
vailed  among  the  people.  Burnaby  thus  alludes  to  the 
subject :  "  About  three  miles  from  town  is  an  indifferent 
wooden  house,  built  by  Dean  Berkeley  when  he  was  in  these 
parts.  The  situation  is  low,  but  commands  a  fine  view  of 
the  ocean,  and  of  some  wild,  rugged  rocks  that  are  on  the 
left  hand  of  it.  They  relate  here  several  strange  stories  of 
the  dean's  wild  and  chimerical  notions,  which,  as  they  are 
characteristic  of  that  extraordinary  man,  deserve  to  be  taken 
notice  of.  One  in  particular  I  must  beg  the  reader's  indul 
gence  to  allow  me  to  repeat  to  him.  The  dean  had  formed 
the  plan  of  building  a  town  upon  the  rocks  which  I  have 
just  taken  note  of,  and  of  cutting  a  road  through  a  sandy 
beach  which  lies  a  little  below  it,  in  order  that  ships  might 
come  up  and  be  sheltered  in  bad  weather.  He  was  so  full 
of  this  project,  as  one  day  to  say  to  Smibert,  a  designer 
whom  he  had  brought  over  with  him  from  Europe,  on  the 
latter's  asking  him  some  ludicrous  question  concerning  the 
future  importance  of  the  place,  '  Truly  you  have  little  fore 
sight  ;  for,  in  fifty  years,  every  foot  of  land  in  this  place  will 
be  as  valuable  as  land  in  Cheapside.'  The  dean's  house," 
continues  Burnaby,  "  notwithstanding  his  prediction,  is  at 
present  nothing  more  than  a  farmhouse,  and  his  library  is 
converted  into  a  dairy.  When  he  left  America,  he  gave  it  to 
the  college  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  which  have  let  it  to  a 
family  on  a  long  lease.  His  books  he  divided  between  this 
college  and  that  of  Massachusetts.  The  dean  is  said  to  have 
written  the  '  Minute  Philosopher '  in  this  place." 

Conservative  Dr.  Burnaby  was  not  so  perspicacious  as  he 
thought,  when  he  thus  reasoned  of  Berkeley's  viewte  of  the 
growth  in  value  of  the  region  he  loved.  However  mistaken 
as  regards  the  specific  locality  and  period,  he  was  essentially 
right  as  to  the  spirit  of  his  prophecy — as  the  price  of  de 
sirable  "  lots  "  and  the  value  of  landed  property  in  Newport 


BKITISH   TEAYELLEES    AND   WEITEES.  177 

now  evidence.  Herein,  as  in  that  more  comprehensive  predic 
tion  which  foretold  the  westward  course  of  empire,  the  good 
and  gifted  dean  exhibited  the  prescience  of  a  benignant  genius. 
Burnaby,  like  countless  other  visitors,  was  delighted  with 
the  country  around  Boston.  He  notes  the  two  "  batteries  of 
sixteen  and  twenty  guns  built  by  Mr.  Shirley,"  and  is  struck, 
in  1770 — as  was  Dickens,  eighty  years  after — with  the  resem 
blance  between  the  New  England  capital  and  the  "  best  coun 
try  towns  in  England."  Indeed,  natives  of  the  former  recog 
nize  in  Worcester,  Eng.,  many  of  the  familiar  local  traits  of 
Boston,  U.  S.  Our  clerical  traveller  has  an  eye  for  the  pic 
turesque,  and  expatiates  on  the  "  unsurpassed  prospect "  from 
Beacon  Hill.  He  thus  enumerates  the  public  edifices  then 
there:  "The  Governor's  palace,  fourteen  meeting  houses, 
the  Court  House,  Faneuil's  Hall,  the  linen  manufactory,  the 
workhouse,  the  Bridewell,  the  public  granary,  and  a  very 
fine  wharf  at  least  a  mile  long."  In  architecture  he  gives  the 
palm  to  King's  Chapel,  but  significantly  records  the  building 
of  an  Episcopal  church  near  the  neighboring  university, 
that  was  long  a  beautiful  exception  to  the  "  wooden  lan 
terns"  which  constituted,  in  colonial  times,  the  shrines  of 
"New  England  faith.  "  A  church  has  been  lately  erected  at 
Cambridge,  within  sight  of  the  college,  which  has  greatly 
alarmed  the  Congregationalists,  who  consider  it  the  most 
fatal  stroke  that  could  possibly  be  levelled  at  their  religion. 
The  building  is  elegant,  and  the  minister  of  it — the  Rev.  Mr. 
Apthorp  —  is  a  very  amiable  young  gentleman,  of  shining 
partSj  great  learning,  and  engaging  manners."  Well  consid 
ered,  the  details  of  this  statement  singularly  illustrate  the 
ecclesiastical  prestige  and  prejudice  of  the  day.  Burnaby 
recognizes  quite  a  different  style  of  manners  and  mode  of 
action  in  the  Puritan  metropolis  from  those  which  character- 
ized  the  Cavalier,  the  Quaker,  or  the  Dutch  colony  before 
visited.  "  The  character  of  this  province  is  much  improved 
in  comparison  with  what  it  was  ;  but  Puritanism  and  a  spirit 
of  persecution  are  not  yet  totally  extinguished.  The  gentry 
of  both  sexes  are  hospitable  and  good-natured  :  there  is  an 
8* 


178  AMERICA  AND   HER  COMMENTATORS. 

air  of  civility  in  their  behavior,  but  it  is  constrained  by  for 
mality  and  preciseness.  Even  the  women,  though  easiness  of 
carriage  is  peculiarly  characteristic  of  their  nature,  appear 
here  with  more  stiffness  and  reserve  than  in  the  other  colo 
nies.  They  are  formed  with  symmetry,  are  handsome,  and 
have  fair  and  delicate  complexions,  but  are  said  universally, 
and  even  proverbially,  to  have  very  indifferent  teeth.  The 
lower  orders  are  impertinently  curious  and  inquisitive."  He 
records  some  singular,  obsolete,  and  scarcely  credible  cus 
toms,  which,  with  other  of  his  observations,  are  confirmed  by 
Anbury,  and  other  writers,  who  visited  New  England  a  few 
years  later.  The  strict  if  not  superstitious  observance  of  the 
Sabbath  in  New  England  has  been  often  made  the  theme  of 
foreign  visitors ;  but  Burnaby  gives  us  a  curious  illustration 
both  of  the  custom  and  its  results.  He  says  that  a  captain 
of  a  merchant  vessel,  having  reached  the  wharf  at  Boston  on 
Sunday,  was  there  met  and  affectionately  greeted  by  his 
wife ;  which  human  behavior,  on  Sunday,  so  outraged  the 
"  moral  sense  of  the  community,"  that  the  captain  was 
arrested,  tried,  and  publicly  whipped  for  the  offence.  Ap 
parently  acquiescing  in  the  justice  of  his  punishment,  he  con 
tinued  on  pleasant  terms  with  his  numerous  acquaintances 
after  its  infliction,  and,  when  quite  prepared  to  sail,  invited 
them  to  a  fete  on  board ;  and,  when  they  were  cheerfully 
taking  leave,  had  the  whole  party  seized,  stripped  to  the 
waist,  and  forty  lashes  bestowed  on  each  by  the  boatswain's 
cat-o'-nine-tails,  amid  the  acclamations  of  his  crew ;  after 
which  summary  act  of  retaliation  he  dismissed  his  smarting 
guests,  and  instantly  set  sail. 

At  the  close  of  his  book,*  the  Rev.  Andrew  Burnaby, 
D.  D.,  Vicar  of  Greenwich,  expresses  some  general  opinions 
in  regard  to  the  colonies,  which  are  noteworthy  as  the  honest 
impressions  of  a  candid  scholar  and  amiable  divine,  received 
nearly  a  century  ago,  while  traversing  a  region  wherein  an 
unparalleled  development,  social,  political,  and  economical, 

*  "  Travels  through  the  Middle  Settlements  of  North  America,  1759-'60," 
4to.,  London,  17*75. 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  179 

has  since  occurred.  "  America,"  he  declares,  "  is  formed  for 
happiness,  but  not  for  empire."  The  average  prosperity  of 
the  people  made  a  deep  impression.  "  In  a  course  of  twelve 
hundred  miles,"  he  writes,  "  I  did  not  see  a  single  object  that 
solicited  charity."  He  was  convinced  that  the  latent  ele 
ments  of  discord  and  division  already  existed.  "  Our  colo 
nies,"  he  remarks,  "  may  be  distinguished  into  Southern  and 
Northern,  separated  by  the  Susquehanna  and  that  imaginary 
line  which  'divides  Maryland  from  Pennsylvania.  The  South 
ern  colonies  have  so  many  inherent  causes  of  weakness,  that 
they  never  can  possess  any  real  strength.  The  climate  oper 
ates  very  powerfully  upon  them,  and  renders  them  indolent, 
inactive,  and  unenterprising.  I  myself  have  been  a  spectator 
of  a  man,  in  the  vigor  of  life,  lying  upon  a  couch,  and  a 
female  slave  standing  over  him,  wafting  off  the  flies,  and  f^i- 
ning  him.  These  Southern  colonies  will  never  be  thickly 
settled,  except  Maryland.  Industrial  occupation  militates 
with  their  position,  being  considered  as  the  inheritance  and 
badge  of  slavery."  The  worthy  author  also  seriously  doubts 
if  "  it  will  be  possible  to  keep  in  due  order  and  government 
so  wide  and  extended  an  empire."  He  dwells  upon  the 
"  difficulties  of  intercourse,  communication,  and  correspond 
ence."-  He  thinks  "  a  voluntary  coalition  almost  difficult  to 
be  supposed."  "  Fire  and  water,"  he  declares,  "  are  not  more 
heterogeneous  than  the  different  colonies  of  America."  It  is 
curious  to  note  wherein  these  diversities  were  then  thought 
to  lie.  Dr.  Burnaby  tells  us  that  Pennsylvania  and  New 
York  were  mutually  jealous  of  the  trade  of  New  Jersey ; 
that  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island  were  equally  conten 
tious  for  that  of  Connecticut ;  that  the  commerce  of  the 
West  Indies  was  "  a  common  subject  of  emulation,"  and  that 
the  "  bounds  of  each  colony  were  a  constant  source  of  litiga 
tion."  He  expatiates  upon  the  inherent  differences  of  man 
ners,  religion,  character,  and  interests,  as  an  adequate  cause 
of  civil  war,  if  the  colonies  were  left  to  themselves  ;  in  which 
case  he  predicts  that  both  the  Indian  and  the  negro  race 
would  "  watch  their  chance  to  exterminate  all."  Against  ex- 


180  AMERICA   AND    HER   COMMENTATORS. 

ternal  foes  he  is  of  opinion  that  maritime  power  is  the 
exclusive  available  defence.  "  Suppose,"  he  writes,  "  them 
(the  colonies)  capable  of  maintaining  one  hundred  thousand 
men  constantly  in  arms  (a  supposition  in  the  highest  degree 
extravagant),  half  a  dozen  frigates  could  ravage  the  whole 
country  ; "  for  it  is  "  so  intersected  with  rivers  of  such  mag 
nitude  as  to  render  it  impossible  to  build  bridges  over  them, 
and  all  communication  is  thus  cut  off."  The  greater  part  of 
America's  wealth,  when  Burnaby  wrote,  according  to  his 
observations,  "  depended  upon  the  fisheries,  and  commerce 
with  the  West  Indies."  He  considered  England's  best  policy 
"  to  enlarge  the  present,  not  to  make  new  colonies ;  for,  to 
suppose  interior  colonies  to  be  of  use  to  the  mother  country 
by  being  a  check  upon  those  already  settled,  is  to  suppose 
what  is  contrary  to  experience — that  men  removed  beyond 
the  reach  of  power,  will  be  subordinate  to  it."  From  specu 
lations  like  these,  founded,  as  they  are,  in  good  sense,  and 
suggested  by  the  facts  of  the  hour,  we  may  infer  how  great 
and  vital  have  been  the  progressive  change  and  the  assimilative 
process  whereby  enlarged  commercial  relations  have  doomed 
to  oblivion  petty  local  rivalries,  mutual  and  comprehensive 
interests  fused  widely-separated  communities,  and  the  applica 
tion  of  steam  to  locomotion  brought  together  regions  which 
once  appeared  too  widely  severed  ever  to  own  a  common 
object  of  pursuit  or  sentiment  of  nationality.  The  Revolu 
tionary  War,  the  naval  triumphs,  the  system  of  internal  im 
provements  and  communication,  the  agricultural,  commercial, 
and  manufacturing  growth  of  the  United  States,  in  eighty 
years,  are  best  realized  when  the  present  is  compared  with 
such  authentic  records  of  the  past  as  honest  Dr.  Burnaby  has 
left  us.  Yet  the  events  of  the  passing  hour  not  less  em 
phatically  suggest  how  truly  he  indicated  the  essential  diffi 
culties  of  the  social  and  civic  problem  to  be  solved  on  this 
continent,  when  he  described  the  antagonism  of  the  systems 
of  labor  prevalent  in  the  North  and  South. 

"  A  Concise  View  of  North  America,"  *  by  Major  Robert 

*  "  A  Concise  Account  of  North  America,  and  the  British  Colonies,  Indian 
Tribes,  &c.,"  by  Major  Robert  Rogers,  8vo.,  1765. 


BEITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  181 

Rogers,  published  in  London  in  1765,  contains  some  general 
information ;  chiefly,  however,  but  a  meagre  outline,  which 
subsequent  writers  have  filled  up.  The  unhoalthiness  and 
mosquitos  of  the  Carolinas  seem  to  have  annoyed  him 
physically,  and  the  intolerance  of  the  "New  Haven  Colony" 
morally.  He  finds  much  in  the  natural  resources,  but  little  in 
the  actual  life  of  the  country  to  extol ;  and  gives  the  follow 
ing  sombre  picture  of  Rhode  Island,  which  forms  an  entire 
contrast  to  the  more  genial  impression  which  Bishop  Berke 
ley  recorded  of  his  sojourn  there  : 

"  There  are  in  this  colony  men  of  almost  every  persuasion  in  the 
world.  The  greater  number  are  Quakers,  and  many  have  no  reli 
gion  at  all,  or,  at  least,  profess  none ;  on  which  account  no  questions 
are  asked,  each  man  being  left  pretty  much  to  think  and  act  for  him 
self—of  which  neither  the  laws  nor  his  neighbors  take  much  cogni 
zance  :  so  greatly  is  their  liberty  degenerated  into  licentiousness. 
This  province  is  infested  with  a  rascally  set  of  Jews,  who  fail  not  to 
take  advantage  of  the  great  liberty  here  granted  to  men  of  all  pro 
fessions  and  religions,  and  are  a  pest  not  only  to  this,  but  to  the 
neighboring  provinces.  There  is  not  a  free  school  in  the  whole  col 
ony,  and  the  education  of  children  is  generally  shamefully  neg 
lected." 

Two  works  on  America  appeared  in  London  in  1760-'61, 
which  indicate  that  special  information  in  regard  to  this  coun 
try  was,  then  and  there,  sufficiently  a  desideratum  to  afford  a 
desirable  theme  for  a  bookseller's  job.  The  first  of  these 
was  edited  by  no  less  a  personage  than  Edmund  Burke  ;  *  and 
somewhat  of  the  interest  he  afterward  manifested  in  the 
rights  and  prospects  of  our  country,  may  be  traced  to  the 
research  incident  to  this  publication,  which  was  issued  under 
the  title  of  "  European  Settlements  in  America."  It  was  one 
of  those  casual  tasks  undertaken  by  Burke  before  he  had  risen 
to  fame :  like  all  compilations  executed  with  a  view  to  emol 
ument  rather  than  inspired  by  personal  taste,  these  two 
respectable  but  somewhat  dull  volumes  seem  to  have  made 
little  impression  upon  the  public.  They  succinctly  describe 

*  "Account  of  the  European  Settlements  in  America,"  by  Edmund  Burke, 
2  vols.,  8vo.  maps,  London,  1757. 


182  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

the  West  India  Islands,  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  rivers,  the 
colonies  of  Louisiana,  and  the  French,  Dutch,  and  English 
settlements,  the  rise  and  progress  of  Puritanism,  and  the 
persecution  and  emigration  of  its  votaries.  With  reference 
to  the  latter,  considerable  statistical  information  is  given  in 
regard  to  New  England,  and  the  colonial  history  of  Penn 
sylvania,  Virginia,  Maryland,  and  the  Carol inas  sketched. 
Trade,  laws,  natural  history,  political  views,  productions,  &c., 
are  dwelt  upon  ;  and,  as  a  book  of  reference  at  the  time,  the 
work  doubtless  proved  useful.  It  appeared  anonymously,  with 
the  imprint  of  Dodsley,  who  issued  a  fourth  edition  in  1766. 

"  The  affairs  of  America,"  says  Burke,  in  his  preface, 
"  have  lately  engaged  a  great  deal  of  public  attention.  Be 
fore  the  present  hour  there  were  very  few  who  made  the  his 
tory  of  that  quarter  of  the  world  any  part  of  their  study. 
The  history  of  a  country  which,  though  vast  in  itself,  is  the 
property  of  only  four  nations,  and  which,  though  peopled 
probably  for  a  series  of  ages,  is  only  known  to  the  rest  of 
the  world  for  about  two  centuries,  does  not  naturally  afford 
matter  for  many  volumes."  He  adds,  that,  to  gain  the 
knowledge  thus  brought  together,  "  a  great  deal  of  reading 
has  been  found  requisite."  He  remarks,  also,  that  "what 
ever  is  written  by  the  English  settlers  in  our  colonies  is  to 
be  read  with  great  caution,"  because  of  the  "  bias  of  interest 
for  a  particular  province."  He  found  most  of  these  records 
"  dry  and  disgusting  reading,  and  loaded  with  a  lumber  of 
matter ; "  yet  observes  that  "  the  matter  is  very  curious  in 
itself,  and  extremely  interesting  to  us  as  a  trading  people." 
Although  irksome,  he  seems  to  have  fulfilled  his  task  with 
conscientious  care,  "  comparing  printed  accounts  with  the 
best  private  information ; "  but  calls  attention  to  the  fact 
that  "  in  some  places  the  subject  refuses  all  ornament."  He 
acknowledges  his  obligation  to  Harris's  "  Voyages." 

It  is  interesting,  after  having  glanced  at  this  early  com 
pendium  of  American  resources,  history,  and  local  traits — 
the  work  of  a  young  and  obscure  but  highly  gifted  Irish 
letter ateur — to  turn  to  the  same  man's  plea,  in  the  days  of  his 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  1&3 

oratorical  renown  and  parliamentary  eminence,  for  that  dis 
tant  but  rapidly  growing  country.  "  England,  sir,"  said 
Burke,  in  the  House  of  Commons,  in  1775,  in  his  speech  on 
conciliation  with  America,  "  England  is  a  nation  which  still, 
I  hope,  respects,  and  formerly  adored  her  freedom.  The 
colonists  emigrated  from  you  when  this  part  of  your  charac 
ter  was  most  predominant ;  and  they  took  this  bias  and 
direction  the  moment  they  parted  from  your  hands.  They 
are,  therefore,  not  only  cfevoted  to  liberty,  but  to  liberty 
according  to  English  ideas,  and  on  English  principles ; " — and, 
in  allusion  to  the  whale  fishery,  "  neither  the  perseverance  of 
Holland,  nor  the  activity  of  France,  nor  the  dexterity  and 
firm  sagacity  of  English  enterprise,  ever  carried  this  most 
perilous  mode  of  hardy  industry  to  the  extent  to  which  it 
has  been  pushed  by  this  recent  people — a  people  who  are  still 
in  the  gristle,  not  yet  hardened  into  the  bone  of  manhood." 

The  other  current  book  of  reference,  although  of  some 
what  earlier  date,  was  the  combined  result  of  personal  obser 
vation  and  research,  and,  in  the  first  respect,  had  the  advan 
tage  of  Burke's  compilation.  It  is  curious  to  remember,  as 
we  examine  its  now  neglected  pages,  that  when  "  Rasselas  " 
and  the  "  Vicar  of  Waketield "  were  new  novels,  and  the 
"  Traveller "  the  fresh  poem  of  the  day,  the  cotemporaries 
of  Johnson,  Goldsmith,  and  Burke,  as  they  dropped  in  at 
Dodsley's,  in  Pall  Mall,  found  there,  as  the  most  full  and 
recent  account  of  North  America,  the  "  Summary,  Historical 
and  Political,  of  the  First  Planting,  Progressive  Improve 
ments,  and  Present  State  of  the  British  Settlements  in  North 
America,  by  William  Douglass,  M.  D."  *  There  is  much  infor 
mation,  especially  historical,  in  these  two  volumes,  although 
most  of  it  has  long  since  been  elaborated  in  more  finished 
annals.  Here  is  the  story  of  the  Dutch  East  India  trade ;  of 
the  Scots'  Darien  Company,  which  forms  so  graphic  an  epi 
sode  of  Macaulay's  posthumous  volume ;  of  the  Spanish  dis- 

*  "  Summary,  Historical  and  Political,  of  the  First  planting,  Progressive  Im 
provement,  and  Present  State  of  the  British  Settlements  in  America,"  by  Dr. 
William  Douglass  2  vols.  8vo.,  London,  1755. 


1/84  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

coveries  and  settlements,  and  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 
The  voyages  of  Cabot,  Frobisher,  Gilbert,  Davis,  Hudson, 
Middleton,  Dobbs,  Button,  James,  Baffin,  and  Fox,  are  briefly 
sketched.  On  the  subject  of  the  whale  and  cod  fisheries, 
numerous  details,  both  historical  and  statistical,  are  given. 
The  "  Mississippi  Bubble  "  is  described,  and  the  Canadian  ex 
pedition  under  Sir  "William  Phipps,  in  1690,  as  well  as  the 
reduction  of  Port  Royal  in  1710.  Each  State  of  New  Eng 
land  is  delineated,  as  well  as  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  New 
Jersey,  and  Virginia ;  and  what  is  said  of  the  Indians,  of 
sects,  of  boundaries,  polity,  witchcraft,  currency,  colleges, 
scenery,  and  products,  though  either  without  significance  or 
too  familiar  to  interest  the  reader  of  to-day,  must  have 
proved  seasonable  knowledge  to  Englishmen  then  meditating 
emigration  to  America.  The  author  of  this  "  Summary " 
was  a  Scotchman  by  birth,  who  long  practised  his  profession 
in  Boston.  He  seems  to  have  attained  no  small  degree  of 
professional  eminence.  He  published  a  treatise  on  small 
pox  in  1722,  and  one  on  epidemic  fever  in  1736.  The  most 
original  remarks  in  his  work  relate  to  local  diseases,  and  his 
medical  digressions  are  frequent.  He  remarks,  in  stating  the 
diverse  condition  of  the  people  of  old  and  New  England, 
that  the  children  of  the  latter  "  are  more  forward  and  preco 
cious  ;  their  longevity  is  more  rare,  and  their  fecundity  iden 
tical."  He  enumerates  the  causes  of  chronic  distempers  in 
America,  independent  of  constitutional  defects,  as  being  bad 
air  and  soil,  indolence,  and  intemperance.  The  wrorthy  doc 
tor,  though  an  industrious  seeker  after  knowledge,  appears  to 
have  indulged  in  strong  prejudices  and  partialities  according 
to  the  tendency  of  an  eager  temperament ;  so  that  it  is  often 
requisite  to  make  allowance  for  his  personal  inferences.  He 
was  warmly  attached  to  his  adopted  country,  and  naively 
admits,  hi  the  preface  to  his  work,  that,  in  one  instance,  his 
statements  must  be  reconsidered,  having  been  expressed 
with  a  "  somewhat  passionate  warmth  and  indiscretion " 
merely  in  affection  to  Boston  and  the  country  of  New 
England,  his  altera  patria.  Dr.  Douglass  died  in  1752. 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  185 

His  work  on  the  "  British  Settlements  in  North  America " 
was  originally  published  in  numbers,  at  Boston,  between 
January  and  May,  1749,  forming  the  first  volume;  the 
second  in  1753  ;  and  both  first  appeared  in  London  in  1755. 
The  work  was  left  incomplete  at  the  -author's  death.  An 
improved  edition  was  issued  by  Dodsley  in  1760.  Adam 
Smith  calls  him  "  the  honest  and  downright  Dr.  Douglass  ; " 
but  adds  that,  in  "  his  history  of  the  American  colonies  he  is 
often  incorrect ;  and  it  was  his  foible  to  measure  the  worth 
of  men  by  his  personal  friendship  for  them." 

Chancellor  Kent,  in  a  catalogue  raisonne  he  kindly  drew 
up  for  the  use  of  a  Young  Men's  Association,  commended  to 
their  attention  the  "  Travels  and  Adventures  of  Alexander 
Henry,"  *  a  fur  trader,  and  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  who,  be 
tween  the  years  1760  and  1776,  travelled  in  the  northwest 
part  of  America,  and,  in  1809,  published  an  account  of  this 
long  and  remarkable  experience.  Confessedly  "  a  premature 
attempt  to  share  in  the  fur  trade  of  Canada  directly  on  the 
conquest  of  the  country,  led  him  into  situations  of  some  dan 
ger  and  singularity  " — quite  a  modest  way  of  stating  a  series 
of  hazards,  artifices,  privations,  and  successes,  enough  to  fur 
nish  material  for  a  more  complacent  writer  to  excite  the 
wonder  and  sympathy  of  a  larger  audience  than  he  strove  to 
win.  In  the  year  1760  he  accompanied  General  Amherst's 
expedition,  which,  after  the  conquest  of  Quebec,  descended 
from  Oswego  to  Fort  Levi,  on  Lake  Ontario.  They  lost 
three  boats  and  their  cargoes,  and  nearly  lost  their  lives,  in 
the  rapids.  Much  curious  information  in  regard  to  the  In 
dians,  the  risks  and  method  of  the  fur  trade,  and  the  adven 
turous  phases  of  border  life  in  the  northwest,  may  be  found 
in  this  ingenious  narrative.  Henry's  "  enterprise,  intrepidity, 
and  perils,"  says  Kent,  "  excite  the  deepest  interest." 

Forty  letter s,f  written  between  1769  and  1777,  by  William 

*  "  Travels  and  Adventures  in  Canada  and  the  Indian  Territory,  between 
the  Years  1760  and  1776,"  New  York,  1809. 

f  "  Letters  from  America,  Historical  and  Descriptive,  comprising  Occur 
rences  from  1769  to  1777,  inclusive,"  by  William  Eddis,  8vo.,  1792. 


186  AMERICA  AND   HER  COMMENTATORS. 

Eddis,  and  published  in  London  in  1792,  contain  numerous 
statistical  and  historical  facts  not  elsewhere  obtainable.  The 
author's  position  as  surveyor  of  the  customs  at  Annapolis,  in 
Maryland,  gave  him  singular  advantages  as  an  observer ;  and 
his  letters  are  justly  considered  as  the  "  best  account  we 
have  of  the  rise  of  Revolutionary  principles  in  Maryland," 
and  have  been  repeatedly  commended  to  historical  students 
,by  British  and  American  critics,  although  their  details  are  so 
unfavorable  to  the  former,  and  so  full  of  political  promise  to 
the  latter.  The  writer  discusses  trade,  government,  manners, 
and  climate,  and  traces  the  progress  of  the  civil  dissensions 
which  ended  in  the  separation  of  the  colonies  from  the  mother 
country. 

If  from  an  urbane  French  officer  and  ally  w^e  turn  to  the 
record  of  an  English  miUtaire,  whose  views  of  men  and 
things  we  naturally  expect  to  be  warped  by  political  animos 
ity  and  the  fact  that  many  of  his  letters  were  written  while 
he  was  a  prisoner  of  war,  it  is  an  agreeable  surprise  to  find, 
with  occasional  asperity,  much  candid  intelligence  and  inter 
esting  local  information.  Thomas  Anbury  was  an  officer  in 
Burgoyne's  army,  and  his  "  Travels  in  the  Interior  of  Amer 
ica"  was  published  in  London  in  1789.'  He  tells  us  that  the 
lower  classes  of  the  New  Englanders  are  impertinently  curi 
ous  and  inquisitive  ;  that  a  "  live  lord  "  excited  the  wonder 
ment  of  the  country  people,  and  disappointed  their  expecta 
tions  then  as  now.  He  complains  of  Congress  as  "  ready  to 
grasp  at  any  pretence,  however  weak,  to  evade  the  terms  of 
the  convention ; "  but,  at  the  same  time,  he  commends  the 
absence  of  any  unSnanly  exultation  on  the  part  of  the  Amer 
icans  at  Burgoyne's  surrender.  "  After  we  had  piled  our 
arms,"  he  writes,  "  and  our  march  was  settled,  as  we  passed 
the  American  army,  I  did  not  observe  the  least  disrespect,  or 
even  a  taunting  look ;  all  was  mute  astonishment  and  pity." 
He  sympathizes  with  the  sorrowful  gratification  of  a  be 
reaved  mother,  to  whom  one  of  his  brother  officers  restored 
her  son's  w^atch,  which  the  British  soldiers  had  purloined 
from  his  body  on  the  battle  field.  He  writes  of  the  bright 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS    AND    WRITERS.  187 

plumage  of  the  hummingbird,  and  the  musical  cry  of  the 
whippoorwill ;  the  grandeur  of  the  Hudson,  and  the  grace  of 
the  Passaic  Falls.  He  notes  some  curious  and  now  obsolete 
'New  England  customs,  and  describes  the  process  of  cider 
making,  and  the  topography  of  Boston  ;  in  which  vicinity  he 
experienced  all  the  rigor  of  an  old-fashioned  winter  in  that 
latitude,  the  dreariness  of  which,  however,  seems  to  have 
been  essentially  relieved  by  the  frolicking  sleigh  rides  of  the 
young  people.  In  one  of  his  letters,  dated  Cambridge,  where 
he  was  quartered  for  many  weeks,  he  thus  speaks  of  that 
academic  spot  as  it  appeared  during  the  Revolution  : 

"  The  town  of  Cambridge  is  about  six  miles  from  Boston,  and 
was  the  country  residence  of  the  gentry  of  that  city.  There  are  a 
number  of  fine  houses  in  it  going  to  decay,  belonging  to  the  Loyal 
ists.  The  town  must  have  been  extremely  pleasant ;  but  its  beauty 
is  much  defaced,  being  now  only  an  arsenal  for  military  stores  :  and 
you  may  suppose  it  is  no  agreeable  circumstance,  every  time  we  walk 
out,  to  be  reminded  of  our  situation,  in  beholding  the  artillery  and 
ammunition  wagons  that  were  taken  with  our  army.  The  character 
of  the  inhabitants  of  this  province  is  improved  beyond  the  descrip 
tion  that  our  uncle  B gave  us  of  them,  when  he  quitted  the 

country,  thirty  years  ago ;  but  Puritanism  and  the  spirit  of  persecu 
tion  are  not  yet  totally  extinguished.  The  gentry  of  both  sexes  are 
hospitable  and  good-natured,  with  an  air  of  civility,  but  constrained 
by  formality  and  preciseness.  The  women  are  stiff  and  reserved, 
symmetrical,  and  have  delicate  complexions  ;  the  men  are  tall,  thin, 
and  generally  long-visaged.  Both  sexes  have  universally  bad  teeth, 
which  must  probably  be  occasioned  by  their  eating  so  much  mo- 


Although  a  more  genial  social  atmosphere  now  pervades 
the  comparatively  populous  city,  since  endeared  by  so  many 
gifted  and  gracious  names  identified  with  literature  and  sci 
ence,  the  "  stiffness  "  of  Cambridge  parties  was  long  prover 
bial  ;  and  an  artist  who  attended  one,  after  years  of  sojourn 
in  Southern  Europe,  declared  his  fair  partner  in  a  solemn 
quadrille  touched  his  hand,  in  "  crossing  over,"  with  a  reti 
cence  so  instinctively  cautions  as  to  remind  him  of  "  a  boy 
feeling  for  cucumbers  in  the  dark."  The  defective  teeth  then 
so  characteristic  of  Americans,  which  Anbury  attributes  to 


188  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

the  use  of  molasses,  was  noticed  by  other  foreign  visitors, 
and  more  justly  ascribed  to  the  climate,  and  its  effect  upon 
the  whole  constitution.  It  is  owing,  perhaps,  to  the  greater 
need  of  superior  dental  science  on  this  side  of  the  water, 
that  it  subsequently  attained  such  perfection,  and  that  the 
most  skilful  American  practitioners  thereof  not  only  abound 
at  home,  but  are  preferred  in  Europe.  A  Virginian,  to  whom 
this  writer  complained  of  the  inquisitiveness  and  exacting 
local  pride  of  the  people,  advised  him  to  avoid  it  by  an  antici 
patory  address  to  every  new  set  of  acquaintance,  as  follows  : 
"  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  am  named  Thomas  Anbury.  .It  is 
no  little  mortification  that  I  cannot  visit  Boston,  for  it  is  the 
second  city  of  America,  and  the  grand  emporium  of  rebel 
lion  ;  but  our  parole  excludes  us  from  it." 

Despite  an  occasional  sleigh  ride  along  the  Mystic  and  the 
Charles,  some  interesting  phases  of  nature  that  beguiled  his 
observant  mind,  and  the  hospitable  treatment  he  frequently 
received,  we  cannot  wonder  that  he  found  renewing  his 
"  pass  "  every  month,  and  the  monotonous  limits  of  his  win 
ter  quarters,  irksome  ;  so  that  every  morning,  with  his  com 
rades,  he  eagerly  gazed  "  from  their  barracks  to  the  mouth 
of  Boston  harbor,  hoping  to  catch  sight  of  the  fleet  of  trans 
ports  that  was  to  convey  them  to  England." 

A  striking  illustration  of  the  influence  of  Tory  prejudice 
and  disappointment,  immediately  after  the  successful  termina 
tion  of  the  War  of  Independence,  may  be  found  in  the  Trav 
els  of  J.  F.  D.  Smythe.*  The  work  was  published  by  sub-, 
scription,  and  among  the  list  of  patrons  are  many  names  of 
the  nobility  and  officers  of  the  British  army.  The  writer 
professes  to  be  actuated  by  a  desire  to  gratify  public  curios 
ity  about  a  country  which  has  just  passed  through  an  "  ex 
traordinary  revolution."  He  declares  it  a  painful  task  "  to 
mention  the  hardships  and  severities  "  he  had  undergone  in 
the  cause  of  loyalty  and  the  pursuit  of  knowledge.  He  dis 
claims  ill  will,  having  "no  resentments  to  indulge,  no  revenge 

*  "  A  Tour  in.  the  United  States  of  America,"  by  J.  F.  D.  Smythe,  Esq.,  Lon 
don,  1784. 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  189 

to  pursue ;  "  and  adds,  "  The  few  instances  I  have  met  with 
of  kind  and  generous  treatment,  have  afforded  me  infinite 
gratification."  The  occasion  and  motive  of  his  publication  are 
thus  stated :  "  Having  lately  arrived  from  America,  where  I 
had  made  extensive  journeys,  and  fatiguing,  perilous  expe 
ditions,  prompted  by  unbounded  curiosity  and  an  insatiable 
enthusiasm  for  knowledge,  during  a  residence  in  that  country 
for  a  considerable  length  of  time,  I  had  become  perfectly 
reconciled  and  habituated  to  the  manners,  customs,  disposi 
tions,  and  sentiments  of  the  inhabitants."  He  conceived 
himself  peculiarly  fitted  to  describe  and  discuss  the  new 
republic.  Moreover,  he  was  dissatisfied  with  all  that  had 
been  published  on  the  subject.  "  I  eagerly  sought  out  and 
pursued,"  he  observes,  "  with  a  degree  of  avidity  rarely  felt, 
every  treatise  and  publication  relating  to  America,  from  the 
first  discovery  by  the  immortal  Columbus  to  Carver's  late 
travels  therein,  and  even  the  '  Pennsylvania  Farmer's  Letters,' 
by  Mr.  Hector  St.  John,  if,  indeed,  such  a  person  ever  exist 
ed  ;  but  always  had  the  extreme  mortification  to  meet  with 
disappointment  in  my  expectations,  every  one  grasping  at 
and  enlarging  on  the  greater  objects,  and  not  a  single  author 
descending  to  the  minutiae,  which  compose  as  well  the  true 
perspective  as  the  real  intercourse  and  commerce  of  life." 
He  bespeaks  the  kindly  judgment  of  his  readers  for  a  work 
"  written  without  ornament  or  elegance,  and  perhaps,  in  some 
respects,  not  perfectly  accurate,  being  composed  under  pecu 
liarly  disadvantageous  circumstances."  The  latter  excuse  is 
the  best.  Baffled  and  chagrined  in  his  personal  aspirations, 
and  having  suffered  capture,  imprisonment,  and,  according  to 
his  own  account,  some  wanton  cruelty ;  remembering  the  pri 
vations  and  dangers  of  travel  in  a  new,  and  exposure  in  an 
inimical  country,  shattered  by  illness,  and,  above  all,  morti 
fied  at  the  ignominious  failure  of  the  Royal  cause,  he  writes 
with  bitter  prejudice  and  exaggerated  antipathy,  despite  the 
show  of  candor  exhibited  in  the  preface.  Nor  can  we  find 
in  his  work,  as  a  literary  or  scientific  performance,  any  just 
reason  for  his  depreciation  of  his  predecessors.  He  may 


190  AMERICA  AND  HER  COMMENTATORS. 

note  a  few  circumstances  overlooked  by  them,  but,  on  the 
score  of  accurate  and  fresh  information,  there  is  little  value 
in  the  physical  details  he  gives  ;  while  the  political  and  social 
are  so  obviously  jaundiced  by  partisan  spite  as  to  be  of  lim 
ited  significance.  Indeed,  there  is  cause  to  suspect  that  Mr. 
Smythe  was  not  infrequently  quizzed  by  his  informants  ;  and 
his  best  reports  are  of  agricultural  and  topographical  facts. 
His  "  Travels  in  America,"  therefore,  are  now  more  curious 
than  valuable  :  they  give  us  a  vivid  idea  of  the  perverse  and 
prejudiced  commentaries  in  vogue  at  the  period  among  the 
least  magnanimous  of  the  Tory  faction.  He,  like  others  of 
his  class,  was  struck  with  the  "  want  of  subordination  among 
the  people."  He  descants  on  the  "  breed  of  running  horses  " 
in  Virginia.  The  bullfrogs,  mosquitos,  flying  squirrels,  fossil 
remains,  and  lofty  timber;  the  wheat,  corn,  sugar,  cotton, 
and  other  crops ;  the  characteristics  of  different  Indian 
tribes ;  the  clearings,  the  new  settlements,  the  hospitality, 
splendid  landscapes,  and  "  severe  treatment  of  the  negroes ; " 
the  handsome  women,  the  "  accommodations  not  suited  to 
an  epicure,"  the  modes  of  farming,  the  habits  of  planters 
and  riflemen,  the  extent  and  character  of  the  large  rivers, 
the  capacity  of  soils,  and  the  behavior  of  different  classes, 
&c.,  form  his  favorite  topics  of  description  and  discussion, 
varied  by  inklings  of  adventure  and  severe  experiences  as  a 
fugitive  and  a  prisoner.  He  tells  us  of  the  "  harems  of 
beautiful  slaves"  belonging  to  the  Jesuit  establishment  in 
Maryland ;  of  being  "  attacked  by  an  itinerant  preacher ; " 
of  the  "  painful  sensation  of  restraint "  experienced  from  the 
"  gloom  of  the  woods ; "  of  his  horse  "  refusing  to  eat  ba 
con  ; "  and  of  the  "  formal  circumlocution "  of  a  wayside 
acquaintance,  evidently  better  endowed  with  humor  than 
himself.  In  these  and  similar  themes  his  record  assimilates 
with  many  others  written  at  the  time ;  but  what  give  it 
peculiar  emphasis,  are  the  political  comments  and  prophecies 
— very  curious  to  recall  now,  in  the  light  of  subsequent 
events  and  historical  verdicts.  "  I  have  no  wish  to  widen  the 
breach,"  he  says ;  "  but  the  illiberal  and  vindictive  principles 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  191 

of  the  prevailing  party "  in  America,  seem  to  him  fatal  to 
any  hearty  reconciliation  between  the  mother  country  and 
her  wayward  and  enfranchised  offspring.  So  absolutely  is 
his  moral  perception  obscured,  that  he  deliberately  maligns  a 
character  whose  immaculate  purity  even  enemies  then  recog 
nized  with  delight.  "  It  was  at  Alexandria,"  he  writes, 
"  that  George  Washington  first  stepped  forth  as  the  public 
patron  and  leader  of  sedition,  having  subscribed  fifty  pounds 
where  others  subscribed  only  five,  and  having  accepted  the 
command  of  the  first  company  of  armed  associates  against 
the  British  Government."  So  far  we  have  only  the  state 
ment  of  a  political  antagonist ;  but  when,  in  the  retrospect 
of  his  career  as  military  chieftain  and  civic  leader,  he  thus 
estimates  the  man  whose  disinterestedness  had  already  be 
come  proverbial,  we  recognize  the  absolute  perversity  of  this 
professedly  candid  writer : 

"  Mr.  "Washington  has  uniformly  cherished  and  steadfastly  pur 
sued  an  apparently  mild,  steady,  but  aspiring  line  of  conduct,  and 
views  of  the  highest  ambition,  under  the  most  specious  of  all  cloaks 
— that  of  moderation,  which  he  invariably  appeared  to  possess.  His 
total  want  of  generous  sentiments,  and  even  of  common  humanity, 
has  appeared  notoriously  in  many  instances,  and  in  none  more  than 
in  his  sacrifice  of  the  meritorious  but  unfortunate  Major  Andre". 
Nor  during  his  life  has  he  ever  performed  a  single  action  that  could 
entitle  him  to  the  least  show  of  merit,  much  less  of  glory  ;  but  as  a 
politician  he  has  certainly  distinguished  himself,  Laving,  by  his  politi 
cal  manoeuvres,  and  his  cautious,  plausible  management,  raised  him 
self  to  a  degree  of  eminence  in  his  own  country  unrivalled,  and  of 
considerable  stability.  In  his  private  character  he  has  always  been 
respectable." 

As  a  specimen  of  Tory  literature,  this  portrait  forms  a 
singular  and  suggestive  contrast  with  those  sketched  of  the 
same  illustrious  subject  by  Chastellux,  Guizot,  Erskine, 
Brougham,  Everett,  and  so  many  other  brilliant  writers.  It 
is  easy  to  imagine  what  discouraging  views  of  the  new 
republic  such  a  man  would  take,  after  this  evidence  of  his 
moral  perspicacity  and  mental  discrimination.  Yet  Mr. 
Smythe  was  of  a  sentimental  turn.  There  are  verses  in  his 


192  AMERICA   AND   HEE   COMMENTATOES. 

American  Travels,  "  written  in  solitude,"  not,  indeed,  equal 
to  Shelley's ;  and,  when  incarcerated,  he  inscribed  rhymes 
with  charcoal  on  his  prison  wall.  We  must  make  due  allow 
ance  for  the  wounded  sensibilities  of  a  man  who  had  been 
the  victim  of  a  "  brutal  Dutch  guard,"  a  "  robber  of  the 
mountain,"  and  a  "  barbarous  jailer,"  when  he  tells  us  that 
the  "  fatal  termination  of  the  war,"  and  the  "  consequences 
of  separation  from  Great  Britain  and  alliance  with  France," 
are  "inauspicious  for  both  countries."  According  to  Mr. 
Smythe,  the  Americans  were  "  corrupted  by  French  gold," 
and  entered  into  an  "  affected  amity  with  that  artful,  perfidi 
ous,  and  gaudy  people."  He  prophesies  that  "  when  the  in 
toxication  of  success  is  over,  they  will  repent  their  error." 
Meantime,  he  pleads  earnestly  for  the  Loyalists,  declares 
America  rapidly  becoming  depopulated  on  account  of  its 
"  unsettled  government "  and  the  check  of  emigration,  and, 
altogether,  an  "  unfit  place  of  residence." 


CHAPTEK    VI. 

BRITISH  TRAVELLERS  AND    WRITERS  CONTINUED. 

WANSEY  ;  COOPER  ;  WILSON  ;  DAVIS  ;  ASHE  ;  BKISTED  ;  KENDALL  ; 
WELD  ;  COBBETT  ;  CAMPBELL  ;  BYRON  ;  MOORE  ;  MRS.  WAKE- 
FIELD  ;  HODGSON  ;  JANSEN ;  CASWELL  ;  HOLMES,  AND  OTHERS  ; 
HALL  ;  FEARON  ;  FIDDLER  ;  LYELL  ;  FEATHERSTONAUGH  ;  COMBE  ; 
FEMALE  WRITERS  ;  DICKENS  ;  FAUX  ;  HAMILTON  ;  PARKINSON ; 
MRS.  TROLLOPE  ;  GRATTAN  ;  LORD  CARLISLE  ;  ANTHONY  TROL- 
LOPE  ;  PRENTICE  ;  STIRLING. 

IF,  in  early  colonial  times,  North  America  was  sought  as  a 
refuge  from  persecution  and  a  scene  of  adventurous  explora 
tion,  and,  during  the  French  and  Revolutionary  wars,  became 
an  arena  for  valorous  enterprise  ;  when  peace  smiled  upon  the 
newly  organized  Government  'of  the  United  States,  they 
allured  quite  another  class  of  visitors — those  who  sought  to 
ascertain,  by  personal  observation,  the  actual  facilities  which 
the  New  World  offered,  whereby  the  unfortunate  could  re 
deem  and  the  intrepid  and  dexterous  advance  their  position 
and  resources.  Hence  intelligent  reporters  of  industrial  and 
social  opportunities  were  welcomed  in  Europe,  and  especially 
among  the  manufacturers,  agriculturists,  and  traders  of 
Britain  ;  and  these  later  records  differ  from  the  earlier  in 
more  specific  data  and  better  statistical  information.  To  the 
American  reader  of  the  present  day  they  are  chiefly  attrac 
tive  as  affording  facts  and  figures  whereby  the  development 
of  the  country  can  be  distinctly  traced  from  the  adoption  of 
9 


194:  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

the  Federal  Constitution  to  the  present  time,  and  a  salient 
contrast  afforded  between  the  modes  of  life  and  the  aspect 
of  places  sixty  years  ago  and  to-day.  The  vocation,,  social 
rank,  and  personal  objects  of  these  writers  so  modify  their 
observations,  that,  in  almost  every  instance,  allowance  must 
be  made  for  the  partialities  and  prejudices,  the  limited  knowl 
edge  or  the  self-love  of  the  journalist  and  letter  writer ;  yet, 
as  their  aim  usually  is  to  impart  such  information  as  will  be 
of  practical  benefit  to  those  who  contemplate  emigration, 
curious  and  interesting  details,  economical  and  social,  may 
often  be  gleaned  from  their  pages.  One  of  these  books, 
which  was  quite  popular  in  its  day,  and  is  still  occasionally 
quoted,  is  that  of  Wansey,  which  Avas  published  in  1794,  and 
subsequently  reprinted  here.*  His  voyage  across  the  Atlan 
tic  was  far  from  agreeable,  and  not  without  serious  priva 
tions.  Indeed,  nothing  more  remarkably  indicates  the  prog 
ress  of  comfort  and  luxury  within  the  last  half  century,  than 
the  speed  and  plentiful  resources  wherewith  the  visitor  to 
America  now  makes  the  transit.  Wansey,  as  was  the  custom 
then,  furnished  his  own  napkins,  bedding,  and  extras  for  the 
voyage ;  his  account  of  which  closes  with  the  remark,  that 
"  there  does  not  exist  a  more  sordid,  penurious  race  than 
the  captains  of  passage  and  merchant  vessels."  Yet  a  no 
bler  class  of  men  than  the  American  packet  captains  of  a 
subsequent  era  never  adorned  the  merchant  service  of  any 
nation. 

Henry  Wansey,  F.  S.  A.,  was  an  English  manufacturer,  and 
his  visit  to  America  had  special  reference  to  his  vocation. 
He  notes  our  then  very  limited  enterprise  in  this  sphere,  and 
examined  the  quality  and  cost  of  wool  in  several  of  the 
States.  On  the  8th  of  June,  1794,  he  breakfasted  with 
Washington  at  Philadelphia.  "  I  confess,"  he  writes,  "  I  was 
struck  with  awe  and  veneration.  The  President  seemed  very 
thoughtful,  and  was  slow  in  delivering  himself,  which  in- 

*  "An  Excursion  to  the  United  States,  in  the  Summer  of  1794,"  by  Henry 
Wansey ;  with  a  curious  profile  portrait  of  Washington,  and  a  view  of  the 
State  House  in  Philadelphia,  12mo.,  pp.  280,  Salisbury,  1798. 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  195 

duced  some  to  believe  him  reserved ;  but  it  was  rather,  I 
apprehend,  the  result  of  much  reflection  ;  for  he  had,  to  me, 
the  appearance  of  affability  and  accommodation.  He  was,  at 
this  time,  in  his  sixty-third  year,  but  had  very  little  the  ap 
pearance  of  age,  having  been  all  his  life  exceedingly  temper 
ate.  There  was  a  certain  anxiety  visible  in  his  countenance, 
with  marks  of  extreme  sensibility." 

Wansey,  like  most  visitors  at  that  period,  was  struck  with 
the  great  average  of  health,  intelligence,  and  contentment 
among  the  people.  "  In  these  States,"  he  writes,  "  you  behold 
a  certain  plainness  and  simplicity  of  manners,  equality  of  con 
dition,  and  a  sober  use  of  the  faculties  of  the  mind.  It  is 
seldom  you  hear  of  a  madman  or  a  blind'  man  in  any  of  the 
States ;  seldom  of  a  felo  de  se,  or  a  man  afflicted  with  the 
gout  or  palsy.  There  is,  indeed,  at  Philadelphia,  a  hospital 
for  lunatics.  I  went  over  it,  but  found  there  very  few,  if 
any,  that  were  natives.  They  were  chiefly  Irish,  and  mostly 
women."  What  an  illustration  of  our  present  eagerness  for 
wealth  and  office — of  the  encroachments  of  prosperity  upon 
simple  habits  and  chastened  feelings — is  the  fact  that  now 
insanity  is  so  prevalent  as  to  be  characteristic,  and  that  a 
"  sober  use  of  the  faculties  of  the  mind  "  is  the  exception, 
not  the  rule,  of  American  life  ! 

To  those  curious  in  byway  economies,  it  may  be  pleasant 
to  know,  that  Wansey,  in  the  year  '94,  found  the  "  Bunch  of 
Grapes  "  the  best  house  of  entertainment  in  Boston  ;  that  it 
was  kept  by  Colonel  Colman,  and  that,  though  "  pestered 
with  bugs,"  his  guest  paid  "  five  shillings  a  day,  including  a 
pint  of  Madeira."  He  records,  as  memorable,  the  circum 
stance  that  he  "  took  a  walk  to  Bunker  Hill  with  an  officer 
who  had  been  on  the  spot  in  the  battle  ; "  and  that  they  re 
turned  "  over  the  new  bridge  from  Cambridge,"  which  Wan 
sey — not  having  lived  to  see  the  Suspension  Bridge  at  Niag 
ara,  the  Victoria  at  Montreal,  nor  the  Waterloo  in  London — 
observes  is  "  a  most  prodigious  work  for  so  infant  a  country 
— worthy  of  the  Roman  empire."  Boston  then  boasted 
"  forty  hackney  coaches,  which  carry  one  to  any  part  of  the 


196  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS . 

town  for  a  quarter  of  a  dollar."  The  pillar  on  Beacon  Hill, 
and  Long  Wharf,  were  to  him  the  chief  local  objects  of 
interest.  He  visited  the  "  famous  geographer,"  Jedediah 
Morse,  at  Charlestown,  read  the  Columbian  Centinel,  and 
attended  "  the  only  Unitarian  chapel  yet  opened  in  America, 
and  heard  Mr.  Freeman."  Springfield,  in  Massachusetts,  put 
him  in  mind  of  Winbourn,  in  Dorsetshire ;  the  coffee  there 
was  "  ill  made,"  and  the  "  butter  rank,"  while  the  best  article 
of  food  he  found  was  "  fried  fish."  He  was  charmed  with 
the  abundance  of  robins  and  swallows,  and  saw  "  a  salmon 
caught  in  a  seine  in  the  Connecticut  River,"  and  "  a  school- 
house  by  the  roadside  in  almost  every  parish."  He  attended  a 
meeting  of  the  Legislature  in  Hartford,  and  heard  a  debate 
as  to  how  "  to  provide  for  the  poor  and  sick  negroes  who 
had  been  freed  from  slavery — the  question  being  whether  it 
was  incumbent  on  the  former  masters,  or  the  State,  to  subsist 
them.  Like  all  strangers  then  and  there,  he  was  hospitably 
received  by  Mr.  Wadsworth.  He  mentions,  as  a  noteworthy 
facility  for  travellers,  that  "  three  or  four  packets  sail  every 
week  from  New  Haven  to  New  York."  Of  New  England 
commodities  which  he  records  for  their  novelty  or  preva 
lence,  are  sugar  from  the  maple  tree,  soft  soap,  and  cider. 
Like  all  foreigners,  he  complains  of  the  bad  bread,  and  enu 
merates,  as  a  curious  phenomenon,  that  there  is  "  no  tax  on 
candles  ; "  that  thunder  storms  are  frequent,  and  lightning 
conductors  on  all  the  houses ;  that  woodpeckers,  flycatchers, 
and  kingbirds  abound ;  that  the  dwellings  are  built  exclu 
sively  of  timber,  and  that  "  women  and  children,  in  most  of 
the  country  places,  go  without  caps,  stockings,  and  shoes." 
The  well  poles  of  New  Jersey,  and  her  domestic  flax  spin 
ners,  cherry  trees,  and  fireflies  impress  him  as  characteristic  ; 
and  he  is  disappointed  in  the  quality  of  the  wool  produced 
there.  In  New  York,  Mr.  Wansey  lodged  at  the  Tontine 
Coffee  House,  near  the  Battery,  where  he  met  Citizen  Genet 
and  Joseph  Priestley,  breakfasted  with  General  Gates,  and 
received  a  call  from  Chancellor  Livingston.  He  "  makes  a 
note  "  of  the  then  "  public  buildings  " — viz.,  the  Governor's 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  197 

house,  the  Exchange,  the  Society  Library,  the  Literary  Coffee 
House,  Columbia  College,  the  hospital,  and  workhouse.  He 
found  some  "  good  paintings  by  Trumbull "  at  Federal  Hall, 
was  interested  in  Montgomery's  monument,  went  with  a 
party  to  see  "  Dickson  Colton's  manufactory  at  Hellgate," 
and  Hodgkinson  in  "  A  Bold  Stroke  for  a  Husband  "  at  the 
theatre.  He  encountered  John  Adams,  then  Yice-President, 
at  Burling  Slip,  "  on  board  the  packet  just  sailing  for  Bos 
ton,"  and  describes  him  as  "  a  stout,  hale,  well-looking  man, 
of  grave  deportment,  and  quite  plain  in  dress  and  person." 
He  dined  with  Comfort  Sands  ;  and  Mr.  Jay,  "  brother  to 
the  ambassador,"  took  him  to  "  the  Belvidere — an  elegant 
tea-drinking  house,  with  delightful  views  of  the  harbor ; " 
also  to  "  the  Indian  Queen,  on  the  Boston  road,  filled  with 
Frenchmen  and  tri-color  cockades."  In  Philadelphia,  he  saw 
Washington  at  the  play,  which  was  one  of  Mrs.  Inchbald's ; 
dined  with  Mr.  Bingham,  and  heard  all  about  the  ravages  of 
the  yellow  fever  of  the  preceding  year. 

How  suggestive  are  even  such  meagre  notices  of  personal 
experience,  reviving  to  our  minds  the  primitive  housewifery, 
the  political  vicissitudes,  and  the  social  tastes  which  mark  the 
history  of  the  land  sixty  years  ago  :  when  the  first  President 
of  the  republic  had  been  recently  inaugurated ;  when  the 
mischievous  "  French  alliance  "  was  creating  such  bitter  par 
tisan  feeling  ;  Avhen  a  Unitarian  philosopher  fled  from  a  Bir 
mingham  mob  to  the  wilds  of  Pennsylvania ;  when  the  abo 
lition  of  slavery  was  a  familiar  fact  in  our  social  life ;  when 
good  Mrs.  Inchbald's  dramas  were  favorites,  and  Brockden 
Brown  was  writing  his  graphic  story  of  the  pestilence  that 
laid  waste  his  native  city ;  when  Trumbull  was  the  artist. 
Hodgkinson  the  actor,  Genet  the  demagogue,  Livingston  the 
lawyer,  and  Washington  the  glory  of  the  land ! 

Among  the  economical  writers  on  our  country,  Thomas 
Cooper  was  at  one  time  much  quoted.*  His  remarks  were, 
however,  the  fruits  of  quite  a  brief  survey,  as  he  left  Eng- 

*  "  Some  Information  respecting  America,"  London,  1794. 


198  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

land  late  in  the  summer  of  1793,  and  embarked  on  his  return 
the  ensuing  winter.  He  found  "  land  cheap  and  labor  dear ; " 
praises  the  fertility  of  the  Genesee  Valley,  then  attracting 
emigrants  from  ISTew  England,  as  its  subsequent  inhabitants 
were  lured  by  the  same  causes  to  the  still  farther  western  plains 
of  Ohio  and  Illinois.  Cooper  indicates,  as  serious  objections 
to  New  York  State,  the  intermittent  fevers,  and  the  unsatis 
factory  land  tenure — both  of  which  obstacles  have  gradually 
disappeared  or  been  auspiciously  modified,  as  the  civilization 
of  the  interior  has  advanced,  and  its  vast  resources  been 
made  available  by  the  genius  of  communication.  This  writer 
also  declares  that  the  climate  of  Pennsylvania  is  more  dry. 
The  existence  of  slavery  he  considers  a  vital  objection  to  the 
Southern  sections  of  the  country  for  the  British  emigrant. 
He  remarks  of  Rhode  Island,  that  it  is  "  in  point  of  climate 
as  well  as  appearance  the  most  similar  to  Great  Britain  of 
any  State  in  the  Union  " — a  remark  confirmed  often  since  by 
foreign  visitors  and  native  travellers.  It  is  to  be  observed, 
however,  that  most  of  those  who  explored  the  States,  when 
the  facilities  for  travel  were  meagre  and  inadequate,  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  economical  information,  usually  confined 
their  experience  to  special  regions,  where  convenience  or  acci 
dent  induced  them  to  linger ;  and  thus  they  naturally  give 
the  preference  to  different  places.  Brissot  recommends  the 
Shenandoah  Valley,  and  Imlay,  Kentucky.  Cooper  thought 
u  the  prospect  in  the  professions  unprofitable."  He  states 
that  literary  men,  as  a  class,  did  not  exist,  though  the  names 
of  Franklin,  Rittenhouse,  Jefferson,  Paine,  and  Barlow  were 
distinguished.  The  number  of  articles  he  mentions  as  indis 
pensable  "  to  bring  over,"  in  1793,  gives  one  a  startling  idea 
of  the  deficiencies  of  the  country.  He  asserts,  however,  that 
the  "  culinary  vegetables  of  America  are  superior  to  those  of 
England ; "  but,  on  the  other  hand,  was  disappointed  in  the 
trees,  as,  "  although  the  masses  of  wood  are  large  and 
grand,"  yet  the  arborescent  specimens  individually  "  fell 
much  short  of  his  expectations ; "  which  does  not  surprise 
those  of  his  readers  who  have  seen  the  noble  and  impressive 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  199 

trees  which  stand  forth  in  such  magnificent  relief  in  some  of 
the  parks  and  manor  grounds  of  England.  The  details  of  a 
new  settlement  given  by  this  writer,  are  more  or  less  identi 
cal  with  those  which  have  since  become  so  familiar  to  us, 
from  the  vivid  pictures  of  life  in  the  West;  but  we  can 
easily  imagine  how  interesting  they  must  have  been  to  those 
contemplating  emigration,  or  with  kindred  who  had  lately 
found  a  new  home  on  this  continent.  More,  however,  of  the 
Puritan  element  mingled  with  and  marked  the  life  of  the  set 
tlers  in  what  was  then  "  the  West  " — and  tinctured  the  then 
nascent  tide  of  civilization.  Somewhat  of  the  simplicity  no 
ticed  by  writers  during  colonial  times,  yet  lingered  ;  and  the 
social  lesson  with  which  Cooper  ends  his  narrative  is  benign 
and  philosophical :  "  By  the  almost  general  mediocrity  of 
fortune,"  he  writes,  "  that  prevails  in  America,  obliging  its 
people  to  follow  some  business  for  subsistence,  those  vices 
that  arise  usually  from  idleness  are  in  a  great  measure  pre 
vented.  Atheism  is  unknown  ;  and  the  Divine  Being  seems 
to  have  manifested  His  approbation  of  the  mutual  forbear 
ance  and  kindness  with  which  the  different  sects  treat  each 
other,  by  the  remarkable  prosperity  Avith  which  He  has  been 
pleased  to  crown  the  whole  country." 

Alexander  Wilson,  the  ornithologist,  the  Paisley  weaver 
and  poet,  after  enduring  political  persecution  and  great  pri 
vations  at  home,  landed  at  Newcastle,  in  Delaware,  July 
14th,  1794,  and,  having  shot  a  red-headed  woodpecker,  was 
inspired  with  an  ornithological  enthusiasm  which  decided  his 
career.  He  became  a  schoolmaster,  an  ardent  politician,  and, 
through  intimacy  with  Bartram,  a  confirmed  naturalist.  He 
wrote  for  Brockden  Brown's  magazine,  made  a  pedestrian 
tour  to  Niagara,  was  the  author  of  "  The  Foresters " — an 
elaborate  poem  in  the  Portfolio,  and  fixed  his  home  on  the 
banks  of  the  Susquehanna :  meantime,  and  subsequently,  toil 
ing,  in  spite  of  every  obstacle  and  with  beautiful  zeal,  upon 
his  "  American  Ornithology ; "  and  in  this  and  other  writings, 
in  verse  and  prose,  giving  the  most  vivid  local  descriptions  of 


200  AMERICA   AND   HEE   COMMENTATORS. 

life  and  nature  in  America  as  revealed  to  the  eye  of  science 
and  of  song.* 

Travel  here,  as  elsewhere,  brings  out  the  idiosyncrasies, 
and  proves  a  test  of  character.  A  certain  earnestness  of 
purpose  and  definite  sympathy  lend  more  or  less  dignity  to 
the  narratives  of  missionary,  soldier,  and  savant  /  but  these 
were  soon  succeeded  by  a  class  of  men  whom  accident  or 
necessity  brought  hither.  The  welcome  accorded  some  of 
them,  when  "  stranger  was  a  holy  name  "  among  us,  and  the 
greater  social  consideration  experienced  in  a  less  conventional 
state  of  society  than  that  to  which  they  had  been  accus 
tomed,  sometimes  induced  an  amusing  self-complacency  and 
oracular  tone.  With  the  less  need  of  the  heroic,  more  super 
ficial  traits  of  human  nature  found  scope ;  and  a  fastidious 
taste  and  critical  standard  were  too  often  exhibited  by  writers, 
whose  previous  history  formed  an  incongruous  parallel  with 
the  newborn  pretensions  warmed  into  life  by  the  republican 
atmosphere  of  this  young  land.  A  visitor  whose  narrow 
means  obliged  him  often  to  travel  on  foot  and  rely  on  casual 
hospitality,  and  whose  acquirements  enabled  him  to  subsist 
as  a  tutor  in  a  Southern  family,  for  several  months,  w^ould 
•challenge  our  respect  for  his  independence  and  self-reliance, 
were  it  not  for  an  egotistical  claim  to  the  rank  of  a  practical 
and  philosophical  traveller,  which  obtrudes  itself  on  every 
page  of  his  journal.  Some  descriptive  sketches,  however, 
atone  for  the  amiable  weakness  of  John  Davis, f  whose 
record  includes  the  period  between  1798  and  1802,  during 
which  he  roamed  over  many  sections  of  the  country,  and 
observed  various  phases  of  American  life.  "  I  have  entered," 
he  says,  "  with  equal  interest,  the  mud  hut  of  the  negro  and 

*  "  American  Ornithology ;  or,  The  Natural  History  of  the  Birds  of  the 
United  States,"  with  plates  from  original  drawings  taken  from  nature,  9  vols., 
folio,  Philadelphia,  1808-' 14. 

"  The  Foresters,  a  Poem  descriptive  of  a  Pedestrian  Journey  to  the  Falls 
of  Niagara,"  12ino.,  Paisley,  1825. 

f  "  Travels  of  Four  Years  and  a  Half  in  the  United  States,  during  the 
years  1798  to  1802,"  by  John  Davis,  dedicated  to  President  Jefferson,  8vo., 
London,  1803. 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  201 

the  log  house  of  the  planter  ;  I  have  likewise  communed  with 
the  slave  who  wields  the  hoe  and  the  taskmaster  who  im 
poses  the  labor."  Pope,  Addisori,  and  Johnson  were  his 
oracles,  and  the  style  of  the  latter  obviously  won  his  sympa 
thy.  Burr  fascinated  him;  Dennie  praised  his  verses,  and 
he  saw  Brockden  Brown.  His  volume  abounds  with  byway 
anecdotes.  He  records  the  details  of  his  experience  with  the 
zest  of  one  whose  self-esteem  exalts  whatever  befalls  and 
surrounds  him.  To-night  he  is  kept  awake  by  the  howls  of 
a  mastiff,  to-morrow  he  dines  on  venison ;  now  he  writes  an 
elegy,  and  now  engages  in  literary  discussion  with  a  planter. 
His  odes  to  a  cricket,  a  mockingbird,  to  Ashley  River,  etc., 
evidence  the  Shenstone  taste  and  rhyme  then  so  much  in 
vogue.  He  "  contemplated  with  reverence  the  portrait  of 
James  Logan,"  and  draws  from  an  Irish  clergyman  new  anec 
dotes  of  Goldsmith.  He  disputes  Franklin's  originality  in  the 
form  of  an  amusing  dialogue  between  a  Virginian  and  a  New 
Englander,  tracing  the  philosopher's  famous  parable  to  Bishop 
Taylor,  and  his  not  less  famous  epitaph  to  a  Latin  author. 
He  praises  Phillis  Wheatley,  and  notes,  with  evident  pleas 
ure,  the  trees,  grains,  reptiles,  birds,  and  animals.  Great  is 
his  dread  of  the  rattlesnake.  Anecdotes  and  verses,  philo 
sophical  reflections  and  natural  history  items,  with  numerous 
personal  confessions  and  impressions,  make  up  a  characteris 
tic  melange,  in  which  the  vanity  of  a  bard  and  the  specula 
tions  of  a  traveller  sometimes  grotesquely  blend,  but  with  so 
much  good  nature  and  harmless  pedantry,  that  the  result  is 
diverting,  and  sometimes  instructive.  "  My  long  residence," 
he  writes,  "  in  a  community  '  where  honor  and  shame  from 
no  condition  rise,'  has  placed  me  above  the  ridiculous  pride 
of  disowning  the  situation  of  a  tutor."  In  this  vocation  he 
certainly  enjoyed  an  excellent  opportunity  to  observe  that 
unprecedented  blending  of  the  extremes  of  high  civilization 
and  rude  economies  which  forms  one  of  the  most  salient 
aspects  of  our  early  history.  The  English  tutor,  when  do 
mesticated  in  a  Southern  family,  was  sheltered  by  a  log 
house  while  he  shared  the  pleasures  of  a  sumptuous  table ; 
9* 


202  AMERICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

and,  when  surrounded  by  the  crude  accommodations  of  a 
new  plantation,  witnessed  the  highest  refinement  of  manners, 
and  listened  to  the  most  intellectual  conversation.  If,  during 
his  wanderings,  he  was  annoyed,  one  night,  by  a  short  bed, 
he  was  amused,  the  next,  by  a  travelling  menagerie.  If,  in 
tutoring,  his  patience  was  tried  by  seeing  people  "  strive  to 
exceed  each  other  in  the  vanities  of  life,"  he  was  compen 
sated,  in  the  woods,  by  shooting  wild  turkeys  with  his  pupil. 
He  quotes  Shakspeare,  and  observes  nature  with  great  relish  ; 
and  the  cotton  plant,  the  autumn  wind,  the  wild  deer,  eagles, 
hummingbirds,  whippoorwills,  bog  plant,  and  flycatchers, 
with  occasional  flirtations  with  a  mellifluous  muse,  beguile 
the  time ;  and  he  boasts,  in  the  retrospect  of  his  four  years' 
sojourn,  and  the  written  digest  thereof,  that  he  "  scorns  com 
plaints  of  mosquitos  and  bugs,"  that  he  "  eschews  magnifi 
cent  epithets,"  "  makes  no  drawings,"  and  "  has  not  joined 
the  crew  of  deists  " — which  negative  merits,  we  infer,  were 
rare  in  travellers'  tales  half  a  century  ago.  The  republican 
ideas,  inquiring  turn  of  mind,  or  extreme  deference  of  this, 
writer,  seems  to  have  won  him  the  favorable  regard  of  Jef 
ferson,  upon  whom  and  Burr  he  lavishes  ardent  praise :  and 
the  former  seems  to  recognize  not  only  a  political  admirer, 
but  a  brother  author,  in  Davis ;  for,  in  reply  to  his  request 
to  dedicate  his  Travels  to  the  apostle  of  American  democ 
racy,  Jefferson,  after  accepting  graciously  the  compliment, 
writes  :  "  Should  you,  in  your  journeyings,  have  been  led  to 
remark  on  the  same  objects  on  which  I  gave  crude  notes 
some  years  ago,  I  shall  be  happy  to  see  them  confirmed  or 
corrected  by  so  accurate  an  observer."  His  work  is  entitled, 
"  Travels  of  Four  and  a  Half  Years  in  the  United  States, 
1799-1802,"  London,  1817.  "With  more  sincerity,"  says 
Rich's  JSibliotheca  Americana,  "  than  is  usual  among  travel 
lers,  he  states  tliat  he  made  the  tour  on  foot,  because  he 
could  not  afford  the  expense  of  a  horse." 

In  1806,  Thomas  Ashe  visited  North  America,  with  the 
intention  of  examining  the  Western  rivers,  in  order  to  learn, 
from  personal  inspection,  the"  products  of  their  vicinage,  and 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  203 

the  actual  state  of  the  adjacent  country.  The  Mississippi, 
Ohio,  Monongahela,  and  Alleghany  were  the  special  objects 
of  his  exploration.  His  "Travels  in  America"*  is' a  curi 
ous  mixture  of  critical  disparagement,  quite  too  general  to 
be  accurate,  and  of  romantic  and  extravagant  episodes,  which 
diminish  the  reliance  that  might  otherwise  be  placed  on  the 
more  practical  statements.  The  work  appeared  in  London  in 
1808. 

The  natural  appetite  for  the  marvellous,  and  the  desire 
to  obtain  a  knowledge  of  facts,  at  that  time,  in  regard  to  the 
particular  region  visited,  being  prevalent,  this  now  rarely  con 
sulted  volume  was  much  read.  From  Pittsburg  he  writes : 
"  The  Atlantic  States,  through  which  I  have  passed,  are  un 
worthy  of  your  observation.  The  climate  has  two  extremes." 
The  Middle  States  "  are  less  contemptible  ;  the  national  fea 
tures  not  strong ; "  and,  from  this  circumstance,  he  thinks 
it  difficult  to  conjecture  what  national  character  will  arise. 
At  Carlisle,  Pa.,  he  u  did  not  meet  a  man  of  decent  litera 
ture."  He  seeks  consolation,  therefore,  in  the  picturesque 
scenes  around  him,  which  are  often  described  in  rhetorical 
terms,  and  in  a  recognition  of  the  fairer  portion  of  the  com 
munity.  Thomson's  "  Seasons"  is  evidently  a  favorite  book  ; 
and  he  presents  a  copy  to  a  "  young  lady  among  the  emi 
grants,"  on  the  blank  leaf  of  which,  he  tells  us,  he  wrote  a 
"  romantic  but  just  compliment."  Education,  sects,  manu 
factures,  and  provisions  are  commented  on ;  but  the  tone  of 
his  remarks,  except  where  he  praises  the  face  of  nature  or 
the  manners  of  a  woman,  is  discouraging  to  those  who  con 
template  settling  in  the  western  part  of  the  country — which 
he  continually  brings  into  severe  comparison  with  the  more 
developed  communities  of  the  Old  World.  Indeed,  he  re 
pudiates  the  flattering  accounts  of  previous  travellers  ;  and  it 
is  evident  that  the  reaction  from  his  own  extravagant  expec- 

*  "  Travels  in  America,  performed  in  1806,"  by  Captain  Thomas  Ashe,  3 
vols.  12mo.,  London,  1808. 

"  His  account  of  the  Atlantic  States  forms  the  most  comprehensive  piece 
of  national  abuse  we  ever  recollect  to  have  read." — Rich. 


204:  AMERICA   AND    HER    COMMENTATORS. 

tations  leads  him  to  picture  the  dark  side  with  earnestness. 
Personal  disappointment  is  expressed  in  all  his  generaliza 
tions,  although  certain  local  beauties  and  exceptional  indi 
viduals  modify  the  strain  of  complaint,  which,  though  some 
times  well  founded,  is  often  unreasonable.  He  describes  the 
hardships  and  privations  incident  to  emigration,  and  illus 
trates  them  by  melancholy  examples.  The  "  vicious  taste  in 
building,"  the  formidable  catalogue  of  snakes,  the  want  of 
literary  culture,  the  discomfort,  and  the  coarse  manners  quite 
eclipse  the  charms  of  landscape  and  the  natural  advantages 
of  the  vast  region  which,  since  his  journey,  has  become  so 
populous,  enterprising,  and  productive.  He  "  reports "  a 
boxing  match,  horse  race,  ball  and  supper  in  Virginia  ;  hears 
a  debate  in  Congress,  and  retires  "  full  of  contempt ; "  swin 
dlers  and  impostors  intrude  on  his  privacy  at  a  tavern.  He 
says,  with  truth,  that  "  no  people  live  with  less  regard  to 
regimen ; "  and,  as  we  read,  beautiful  scenes  seem  to  be 
counterbalanced  by  bad  food,  grand  rivers  by  uncultured 
minds,  cheap  land  by  narrow  social  resources  ;  in  a  word,  the 
usual  conditions  of  a  new  country,  where  nature  is  exuberant 
and  civilization  incomplete,  are  described  as  such  anomalies 
would  be  by  a  man  with  a  fluent  and  ambitious  style,  tastes 
and  self-love  easily  offended,  and  to  whom  the  "law  of  a  pro 
duction,"  which  Goethe  deemed  so  essential  to  wise  criticism 
in  letters,  is  scarcely  applied,  though  still  more  requisite  to  a 
traveller's  estimate.  Ashe  put  on  record  some  really  useful 
information,  and  stated  many  disenchanting  truths  about  the 
New  World,  and  life  there  ;  but  the  rhetorical  extravagance 
and  personal  vanity  herewith  ventilated,  detract  not  a  little 
from  his  authority  as  a  reference  and  his  tact  as  a  romancer. 
The  gentler  portion  of  creation  alone  escape  reproach.  "  I 
assure  you,"  he  writes,  "  that  when  I  expressed  the  supreme 
disgust  excited  in  me  by  the  people  of  the  United  States,  the 
ladies  were  by  no  means  included  in  the  general  censure." 

When  we  remember  that  such  books,  half  a  century  ago, 
were  the  current  sources  of  information  in  Great  Britain  in 
regard  to  America,  and  that  a  writer  so  limited  in  scope,  in- 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS    AND   WRITERS.  205 

discriminate  in  abuse,  and  superficial  in  thought,  was  re 
garded  as  an  authority,  it  is  easy  to  perceive  how  the  inimical 
feeling  toward  this  country  was  fostered.  One  fact  alone 
indicates  the  shallowness  of  Ashe  :  he  dates  none  of  his  com 
placent  epistles  from  the  Northern  States,  and  gives,  as  a  rea 
son  therefor,  that  they  are  "  unworthy  of  observation."  He 
thinks  the  social  destiny  of  Pittsburg  redeemed  by  a  few 
Irish  families  settled  there,  who  "  hindered  the  vicious  pro 
pensities  of  the  genuine  American  character  from  establish 
ing  here  the  horrid  dominion  which  they  have  assumed  over 
the  Atlantic  States."  He  finds  the  men  deteriorated  on 
account  of  their  "  political  doctrines,"  which,  he  considers, 
tend  "  to  make  men  turbulent  citizens,  abandoned  Christians, 
inconstant  husbands,  and  treacherous  friends."  Here  we 
have  the  secret  of  this  traveller's  sweeping  censure.  His 
hatred  of  republican  institutions  not  only  blinded  him  to  all 
the  privileges  and  merits  of  American  life  and  character,  but 
even  to  certain  domestic  traits  and  professional  talents,  recog 
nized  by  every  other  foreign  observer  of  the  country.  Yet, 
palpable  as  are  his  injustice  and  ignorance,  contemporary 
critics  at  home  failed  to  recognize  them.  One  says,  "his 
researches  cannot  fail  to  interest  the  politician,  the  statesman, 
the  philosopher,  and  the  antiquary;"  while  the  Quarterly 
Review  mildly  rebukes  him  for  having  "  spoiled  a  good  book 
by  engrafting  incredible  stories  on  authentic  facts." 

Rev.  John  Bristed,  who  succeeded  Bishop  Griswold  in  St. 
Michael's  Church,  at  Bristol,  R.  I.,  published,  in  1818,  a  work 
on  "  America  and  her  Resources."  He  was  a  native  of  Dor 
setshire,  England,  and,  for  two  years,  a  pupil  of  Chitty. 
Strong  in  his  prejudices  of  country,  yet  impressed  with  the 
advantages  of  the  New  "World,  his  report  of  American 
means,  methods,  and  prospects,  though  containing  much  use 
ful,  and,  at  the  time,  some  fresh  and  desirable  information,  is 
crude,  and  tinctured  with  a  personal  and  national  bias,  which 
renders  it,  superseded  as  most  of  its  facts  have  been  by  the 
development  of  the  country,  of  little  present  significance.  It 
is,  however,  to  the  curious,  as  an  illustration  of  character,  a 


206  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

suggestive  indication  of  the  state  of  feeling  of  an  English 
resident,  and  of  the  state  of  the  country  forty  or  fifty  years 
since.  The  author  was  a  scholar,  with  strong  convictions. 
He  died  at  Bristol  a  few  years  since,  at  an  advanced  age. 
He  also  published  "  A  Pedestrian  Tour  in  the  Highlands," 
in  1804.  His  work  on  America  was  the  result  of  several 
years'  residence ;  and  its  scope,  tone,  and  character  are  best 
hinted  by  the  opinion  of  one  of  the  leading  Reviews  of 
England,  thus  expressed  soon  after  its  publication :  "  We 
cannot  avoid  regarding  Mr.  Bristed  with  some  degree  of 
respect,"  says  the  London  Quarterly.  "  In  writing  his 
book,  his  pride  in  his  native  country,  which  all  his  repub 
licanism  has  been  unable  to  overcome,  has  frequently  had  to 
contend  with  the  flattering  but  unsubstantial  prospect  with 
which  the  prophetic  folly  that  ever  accompanies  democracy 
has  impressed  his  mind,  to  a  degree  almost  equalling  that  of 
the  vain  people  with  whom  he  is  domiciled."  As  an  au 
thentic  landmark  of  economical  progress,  this  work  is  use 
ful  as  a  reference,  whatever  may  be  thought  of  its  social 
criticism. 

An  entire  contrast  to  the  record  of  Ashe  appeared  about 
the  same  time,  in  the  "  Travels  through  the  Northern  Parts 
of  the  United  States,"  *  by  Edward  Augustus  Kendall.  No 
previous  work  on  this  country  so  fully  explains  the  State 
polity  and  organization  of  ISTew  England,  and  the  social  facts 
connected  therewith.  "  The  intention  of  travel,"  says  the 
intelligent  and  candid  author,  "  is  the  discovery  of  truth." 
As  unsparing  in  criticism  as  Ashe,  he  analyzes  the  municipal 
system  and  the  social  development  with  so  much  knowledge 
and  fairness,  that  the  political  and  economical  student  will 
find  more  data  and  detail  in  his  work  than,  at  that  period, 
were  elsewhere  obtainable.  It  still  serves  as  an  authentic 
memorial  of  the  region  of  country  described,  at  that  transi 
tion  era,  when  time  enough  had  elapsed,  after  the  Revolution 
ary  War,  for  life  and  labor  to  have  assumed  their  normal 

*  "  Travels  through  the  Northern  Parts  of  the  United  States,  in  the  years 
1807-'8,"  by  Edward  A.  Kendall,  3  vols.  8vo.,  New  York,  1809. 


BRITISH    TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  207 

development,  and  before  their  scope  had  been  enlarged  and 
their  activity  intensified  by  the  vast  mechanical  improve 
ments  of  our  own  day.  The  local  laws  of  Connecticut,  for 
instance,  are  fully  discussed ;  townships,  elections,  churches, 
prisons,  schools,  and  the  press — all  the  elements  and  principles 
which  then  and  there  manifested  national  and  moulded  pri 
vate  character.  The  famous  "  Blue  Laws  "  form  a  curious 
chapter ;  and,  in  his  account  of  the  newspaper  press,  he  notes 
the  remarkable  union  of  "  license  of  thought  with  very  favor 
able  specimens  of  diction,"  and  enlarges  upon  the  prevalent 
"  florid  and  tumid  "  language  in  America,  its  causes  and  cure ; 
while  his  chapter  on  Hartford  Poetry  is  an  interesting  illus 
tration  of  our  early  local  literature. 

Scarcely  any  contemporary  writer  of  American  travels  was 
more  quoted  and  popular,  sixty  years  ago,  than  Isaac  Weld, 
whom  the  troubles  of  Ireland,  in  '95,  induced  to  visit  this 
country.  That  experience,  we  may  readily  imagine,  caused 
him  thoroughly  to  appreciate  the  importance  of  practical 
observations  in  a  land  destined  to  afford  a  prosperous  home 
for  such  a  multitude  of  his  unfortunate  countrymen.  Ac 
cordingly  we  find,  in  his  well-written  work,*  abundance  of 
economical  and  statistical  facts ;  and  the  interests  and  pros 
pects  of  agriculture  and  commerce  are  elaborately  considered. 
While  this  feature  rendered  Weld's  Travels  really  useful  at 
the  time  of  their  publication,  and  an  authentic  reference  sub 
sequently,  his  ardent  love  of  nature  lent  an  additional  interest 
to  his  work ;  for  he  expatiates  on  the  beauties  of  the  land 
scape  with  the  perception  of  an  artist,  and  is  one  of  the  few 
early  travellers  who  enriched  his  journal  with  authentic 
sketches  of  picturesque  and  famous  localities.  The  French 
translation  of  Weld's  Travels  in  America  is  thus  illustrated  ; 
and  the  old-fashioned  yet  graphic  view  of  an  "  Auberge  et 
voiture  publique  dans  les  fitats  Unis,"  vividly  recalls  the  days 
anterior  to  locomotives,  so  suggestive  of  stage-coach  adven* 

*  "  Travels  through  the  States  of  North  America  and  the  Provinces  of 
Upper  and  Lower  Canada,  in  1795-'96-'97,"  by  Isaac  Weld,  illustrated  with 
fine  engravings,  4to.,  1799. 


208  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

tures,  deliberate  travel,  and  the  unmodified  life  and  character 
of  the  rural  districts.  In  describing  the  sanguinary  attacks  of 
"New  Jersey  insects,  he  deals  in  the  marvellous,  giving  Wash 
ington  as  authority  that  the  mosquitos  there  bite  through 
the  thickest  boots. 

No  writer  on  America  has  more  singularly  combined  the 
political  refugee  and  adventurer  with  the  assiduous  econo 
mist  than  William  Cobbett.  Born  and  bred  a  farmer,  he 
fled,  while  a  youth,  from  the  peaceful  vocation  of  his  father, 
to  become  a  soldier  in  Nova  Scotia ;  but  soon  left  the  service, 
visited  France,  and,  in  1796,  settled  in  Philadelphia,  where 
the  fierce  tone  of  his  controversial  writings  involved  him  in 
costly  libel  suits.  His  interest  in  the  political  questions  then 
rife  in  America  is  amply  evidenced  by  the  twelve  volumes  of 
the  works  of  Peter  Porcupine,  published  in  London  in  1801. 
Returning  to  England,  he  became  the  strenuous  advocate  of 
Pitt,  and  started  the  Weekly.  Register,  which  contained  his 
lucubrations  for  thirty  years  ;  but,  having  once  more  ren 
dered  himself  amenable  to  law  by  the  combined  freedom  and 
force  of  his  pen,  he  returned  to  the  United  States,  and  en 
joyed  the  prestige  of  a  political  exile  in  the  vicinity  of  New 
York ;  and  when  the  repeal  of  the  Six  Acts,  permitted  his 
return  home,  he  conveyed  to  England  the  bones  of  Thomas 
Paine,  whose  memory  he  idolized.  Cobbett  is  recognized 
under  several  quite  distinct  phases,  according  to  the  views  of 
his  critics — as  a  malignant  radical  by  some,  a  philosophical 
liberal  by  others.  His  style  is  regarded  as  a  model  of  per 
spicacity  ;  and  his  love  of  agriculture,  and  faith  in  habits  of 
inexpensive  comfort  and  cheerful  industry,  made  him,  in  the 
eyes  of  partial  observers,  quite  the  model  of  republican  hardi 
hood  and  independence ;  while  the  more  refined  and  urbane 
of  his  day  shrank  from  his  vituperative  language  and  bitter 
partisanship.  He  slandered  the  benign  Dr.  Rush,  and  Ben- 
tham  declared  "  his  malevolence  and  lying  beyond  every 
thing;"  while  Kent  remarked  that  his  political  writings 
afforded  a  valuable  source  of  knowledge  to  those  who  would 
understand  the  parties  and  principles  which  agitated  our 


BRITISH    TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  209 

country  during  his  sojourn ;  and  the  London  Times  ap 
plauded  the  muscular  vigor  of  his  diction.  But  it  is  as  a 
writer  on  the  economical  and  social  facts  of  American  life, 
that  Cobbett  now  claims  our  notice ;  and  in  this  regard  he 
differs  from  most  authors  in  the  same  sphere,  in  the  specific 
character  of  the  information  he  imparts,  and  the  deliberate 
conclusions  at  which  he  arrived.  Some  of  our  venerable 
countrymen  remember  his  pleasant  abode  on  Long  Island, 
and  the  memorable  discussions  which  sometimes  took  place 
there  between  the  political  exile,  reformer,  grammarian,  and 
horticulturist,  and  his  intelligent  visitors  from  the  city.  The 
late  Dr.  Francis  used  to  quote  some  of  his  emphatic  sayings, 
and  describe  his  frugal  arrangements  and  agricultural  tro 
phies.  In  the  preface  to  his  "  Year's  Residence  in  America,"* 
Cobbett  complains  of  English  travellers  as  too  extreme  in 
their  statements  in  regard  to  the  country — one  set  describing 
it  as  a  paradise,  and  the  other  as  unfit  to  live  in.  He  treats 
the  subject  in  a  practical  way,  and  from  patient  experience. 
Enamored  of  a  farmer's  life,  he  boasts  that  he  was  "  bred  up 
at  a  ploughtail  and  among  the  hop  gardens  of  Surrey,"  and 
that  he  was  never  eighteen  months  "  without  a  garden."  He 
expatiates  on  the  superior  condition  of  the  agricultural  class 
in  America,  where  "  a  farmer  is  not  a  dependent  wretch," 
and  where  presidents,  governors,  and  legislators  pride  them 
selves  on  the  vocation.  He  describes  his  own  little  domain, 
the  American  trees  he  has  planted  around  his  house,  his  ex 
periments  in  raising  corn,  potatoes,  and  especially  rutabaga. 
By  "  daily  notes  "  he  carefully  reports  the  transitions  of  tem 
perature  and  seasons,  and  gives  definite  accounts  of  modes 
of  cultivation,  the  price  of  land,  cost  of  raising  kine  and 
poultry ;  in  a  word,  all  the  economical  details  which  a  prac 
tical  man  would  prize.  By  the  narrative  of  his  own  doings 
in  the  vicinity  of  New  York,  and  of  his  observations  during 
a  journey  to  the  West,  the  foreign  reader  must  have  obtained 
from  Cobbett  the  most  satisfactory  knowledge  of  the  rnate- 

*  "  A  Year's  Residence  in  the  United  States,"  3  vols.,  SYO.,  London, 
1818. 


210  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

rial  resources  of  a  large  section  of  the  country  as  it  was 
forty  years  since.  Through  these  agricultural  items,  how 
ever,  the  disappointment  of  the  politician  and  the  sympathies 
of  the  republican  vividly  gleam ;  for  the  truculent  author 
constantly  rejoices  that  no  "  spies,  false  witnesses,  or  blood- 
money  men  "  beset  the  path  of  frugal  toil  and  independent 
thought  in  this  land  of  freedom.  He  justly  laments  the 
prevalence  of  intemperance,  and  compares  the  "  Hampshire 
parsons  "  and  their  flocks — not  at  all  to  the  advantage  of 
either — with  the  "  good,  kind  people  here  going  to  church  to 
listen  to  some  decent  man  of  good  moral  character  .and  of 
sober,  quiet  life,"  Despite  the  narrowness  of  the  partisan 
and  the  egotism  of  the  innovator,  Cobbett,  in  some  respects, 
is  one  of  the  more  clear  and  candid  reporters  who  sought  to 
enlighten  Europe  about  America.  A  critical  authority  in 
agriculture,  while  denying  him  scientific  range,  admits  that 
he  adorned  the  subject  "  by  his  homely  knowledge  of  the  art, 
and  most  agreeable  delineation ; "  while  some  of  the  most  es 
sential  social  traits,  remarkable  political  tendencies,  and  emi 
nent  public  characters  of  the  United  States,  have  been  most 
truly  and  impressively  described  by  William  Cobbett. 

"  I  visited  Parliament  House,"  writes  an  American  from 
London  in  1833.  "  The  question  was  the  expediency  of  ab 
rogating  the  right,  under  any  circumstances,  of  impressing 
seamen  for  her  Majesty's  navy.  Cobbett  said  but  a  few 
words,  but  they  went  directly  to  the  question  :  '  One  fact  on 
this  subject  claims  and  deserves  the  attention  of  the  House. 
The  national  debt  consists  of  eight  hundred  millions  of 
pounds ;  and  seven  hundred  thousand  of  this  debt  was 
incurred  in  the  war  with  America,  in  support  of  this  right 
of  impressing  seamen.'  " 

However  coarse  the  radicalism  of  Cobbett,  there  was  a 
basis  of  sense  and  truth  in  his  intrepid  assertion  of  first  prin 
ciples — his  recognition  and  advocacy  of  elementary  political 
justice — that  just  thinkers  respect,  however  uncongenial  may 
be  the  manner  and  method  of  the  man  ;  no  little  of  the  offen 
sive  character  thereof  being  attributable  to  a  baffled  and  false 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  211 

position.  An  acute  German  writer  *  apostrophized  him,  not 
inaptly,  thus :  "  Old  Cobbett !  dog  of  England !  I  do  not 
love  you,  for  every  vulgar  nature  is  fatal  to  me ;  but  I  pity 
you  from  my  deepest  soul,  when  I  see  that  you  cannot  break 
loose  from  your  chain,  nor  reach  those  thieves  who,  laughing, 
slip  &WSLJ  their  plunder  before  your  eyes,  and  mock  your  fruit 
less  leaps  and  unavailing  howls." 

While  political  reformers  of  the  liberal  school,  drew  argu 
ments  from  American  prosperity,  popular  bards  gave  expres 
sion  to  the  common  vexation,  by  taunting  the  republic  with 
the  taint  of  slavery,  though  a  poisoned  graft  from  the  land 
of  our  origin — as  Campbell,  in  his  bitter  epigram  on  the 
American  flag — or  with  sarcasms  upon  democratic  manners, 
as  in  Moore's  ephemeral  satire.  And  yet,  when  the  prospect 
for  men  with  more  wit  than  money,  and  more  learning  than 
rank,  in  Great  Britain,  was  all  but  hopeless,  the  Bard  of  Hope 
could  discover  no  more  auspicious  home  than  the  land  he  thus 
sneered  at  for  a  local  and  inherited  stain.  Alluding  to  a  half- 
formed  project  of  joining  his  brother  in  America,  and  earning 
his  subsistence  there  by  teaching,  he  observes,  in  a  letter  to 
Washington  Irving :  "  God  knows  I  love  my  country,  and 
my  heart  would  bleed  to  leave  it ;  but  if  there  be  a  consum 
mation  such  as  may  be  feared,  I  look  to  taking  up  my  abode 
in  the  only  other  land  of  liberty ;  and  you  may  behold  me, 
perhaps,  flogging  your  little  Spartans  in  Kentucky  into  a  true 
sense  and  feeling  of  the  beauties  of  Homer." 

Byron,  an  impassioned  devotee  of  freedom,  and  disgusted 
by  the  social  proscription  his  undisciplined  and  wilful  career 
had  entailed  on  him  in  his  native  land,  turned  a  gaze  of  sym 
pathy  toward  the  West.  It  is  said  no  tribute  to  his  fame 
delighted  him  so  much  as  the  spontaneous  admiration  of 
Americans.  He  was  highly  gratified  when  one  of  our  ships 
of  war  paid  him  the  compliment  of  a  salute  in  the  harbor  of 
Leghorn  ;  and  expressed  unfeigned  satisfaction  when  told  of 
a  well-thumbed  copy  of  his  poems  at  an  inn  near  Niagara 


Heine. 


212  AMERICA  AND  HER   COMMENTATORS. 

Falls.  Indeed,  his  restless  mind  often  found  comfort  in  the 
idea  of  making  his  home  in  the  United  States.  Every  school 
boy  remembers  his  apostrophe  to  this  country,  in  his  Ode  to 
Venice : 

u  One  great  clime, 

Whose  vigorous  offspring  by  dividing  ocean 
Are  kept  apart,  and  nursed  in  the  devotion 
Of  freedom,  which  their  fathers  fought  for  and 
Bequeathed — a  heritage  of  heart  and  hand, 
And  proud  distinction  from  each  other  land — 
Yet  rears  her  crest,  unconquered  and  sublime, 
Above  the  far  Atlantic.     She  has  taught 
Her  Esau  brethren  that  the  haughty  flag, 
The  floating  wall  of  Albion's  feebler  crag, 
May  strike  to  those  whose  red  right  hands  have  bought 
Rights  cheaply  earned  with  blood." 

"  One  freeman  more,  America,  to  thee,"  Byron  would 
have  indeed  added ;  and,  had  he  followed  the  casual  impulse 
and  found  new  inspiration  from  nature  on  this  continent,  and 
outlived  here  the  fever  of  passion  and  the  recklessness  of 
error,  how  easy  to  imagine  his  later  manhood  and  his  per 
verted  name  alike  redeemed  by  faith  and  humanity  into  "  vic 
torious  clearness." 

A  remarkable  evidence  of  the  prevalent  fashion  and  feel 
ing,  on  the  other  hand",  is  to  be  found  in  the  writings  of  Tom 
Moore.  His  Life,  so  imprudently  sent  to  the  press  by  Lord 
John  Russell,  exhibits,  in  his  own  letters  and  diaries,  as  com 
plete  a  fusion  of  the  man  of  the  world  and  the  poet — if  such 
a  phenomenon  is  possible — as  can  be  found  in  the  whole 
range  of  literary  biography.  But  Moore  was  a  man  of  fancy 
and  music  rather  than  of  deep  or  wide  sympathies — a  social 
favorite  and  graceful  rhymer,  who  lived  for  the  drawing 
room  and  the  dinner,  and  was  beguiled  by  aristocratic  hospi 
talities  from  that  great  and  true  world  of  humanity  wherein 
the  true  bard  finds  inspiration.  Accordingly,  it  was  to  be 
expected  that  his  hasty  visit  to  America  should  be,  as  it  was, 
made  capital  for  satire  and  song,  in  the  interest  of  British 
prejudice.  There  is  so  little  originality  or  completeness  in 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  213 

these  desultory  notes  of  his  visit,  with  the  exception  of  two 
finished  and  melodious  lyrics — "  The  Lake  of  the  Dismal 
Swamp  "  and  "  The  Canadian  Boat  Song  " — that  only  the 
prestige  of  his  name  makes  them  of  present  interest. 

Moore  arrived  at  Norfolk,  Va.,  in  the  autumn  of  1803, 
in  II.  B.  M.  frigate  Phaeton,  where  he  stayed  ten  days,  and 
then  went  to  Bermuda  in  the  "  Driver "  sloop-of-war. 
Thence  he  proceeded  in  the  "  Boston "  to  New  York ; 
visited  Washington  and  Philadelphia,  Canada  and  Niagara 
Falls.  At  Bermuda  he  met  Basil  Hall,  then  a  midshipman. 
At  Washington  he  had  an  interview  with  Jefferson,  "  whom," 
he  writes,  "  I  found  sitting  with  General  Dearborn  and  one 
or  two  other  officers,  and  in  the  same  homely  costume,  com 
prising  slippers  and  Connemara  stockings."  He  enjoyed 
Philadelphia  society,  and  addressed  some  verses  to  "  Dela 
ware's  green  banks  "  and  "  Fair  Schuylkill."  He  describes 
Buffalo  as  a  village  of  wigwams  and  huts ;  and  part  of  his 
journey  thence  to  Niagara  he  was  obliged  to  perform  on 
foot,  through  a  half-cleared  forest.  On  his  arrival,  he  tells 
us  he  lay  awake  all  night  listening  to  the  Falls ;  and  adds, 
"  The  day  following  I  consider  a  sort  of  era  in  my  life  ;  and 
the  first  glimpse  I  caught  of  that  wonderful  cataract  gave 
me  a  feeling  which  nothing  in  this  world  will  ever  awaken 
again."  His  rhymes  intended  as  "  the  song  of  the  spirit  of 
that  region  "  are  not,  however,  suggestive  of  these  emotions. 
He  spent  part  of  his  time  with  "  the  gallant  Brock,"  who 
then  commanded  at  Fort  George,  and,  accompanied  by  him 
and  the  officers  of  the  garrison,  visited  the  Tuscarora  In 
dians,  and  witnessed  their  dances,  games,  and  rites  with  satis 
faction.  The  Falls  of  the  Mohawk  also  awoke  his  muse ;  and 
he  was  much  delighted  at  the  refusal  of  the  captain  of  a 
steamboat  on  Lake  Ontario  to  accept  passage  money  from 
the  u  poet."  Nearly  all  the  period  of  Moore's  sojourn  was 
passed  with  British  consuls  or  army  and  naval  officers.  From 
these  and  the  Federalists  of  Philadelphia,  he  tells  us,  he 
"  got  his  prejudices  "  in  regard  to  America.  The  "  vulgarity 
of  rancor  "  in  politics,  and  the  "  rude  familiarity  of  the  lower 


214  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

orders."  were  very  offensive  to  him  ;  and,  although  his  oppor 
tunities  for  "cursory  observation"  were  quite  limited,  he 
found  America  "  at  maturity  in  most  of  the  vices  and  all  the 
pride  of  civilization."  Slavery,  of  course,  is  the  chief  object 
of  his  satire  :  of  its  origin  he  is  silent.  The  crude  state  of 
border  life,  the  prevalence  of  French  sympathies,  and  the 
recklessness  of  partisan  zeal,  are  among  the  special  defects 
upon  which  he  ironically  descants,  as  usual  ascribing  them  to 
the  institutions  of  the  country.  He  sneers  at 

"  The  embryo  capital,  where  fancy  sees 
Squares  in  morasses,  obelisks  in  trees  ;  " 

and  scornfully  declares  that 

u  Columbia's  patriot  train 
Cast  off  their  monarch  that  their  mob  might  reign  ;  " 

and  assures  his  readers 

"I'd  rather  hold  my  beck 
In  climes  where  liberty  has  scarce  been  named, 
Nor  any  right  but  that  of  ruling  claimed, 
Than  thus  to  live  where  bastard  Freedom  waves 
Her  fustian  flag  in  mockery  over  slaves." 

He"  begins  one  of  his  tirades  with 

"  Aready  in  this  free  and  virtuous  state, 
"Which  Frenchmen  tell  us  was  ordained  by  Fate  ;  " 

and  his  anti-Gallicism  is  as  obvious  as  his  hatred  of  the 
"  equality  and  fraternity "  principles,  which  he  thinks  so  de 
grading.  Yet  it  was  here  that  he  saw  the  picture  of  domes 
tic  peace  and  prosperity  that  prompted  the  lines,  "  I  knew, 
by  the  smoke  that  so  gracefully  curled ; "  and  the  want  of 
magnanimity  in  an  Irish  bard,  in  overlooking  the  blessings 
America  has  rained  upon  his  countrymen,  in  flippant  com 
ments  on  temporary  social  incongruities,  is  the  more  apparent 
from  his  acknowledgment  in  the  preface  to  his  "  Poems 
relating  to  America,"  subsequently  written  :  "  The  good  will 
I  have  experienced  from  more  than  one  distinguished  Ameri- 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  215 

can,  sufficiently  assures  me  that  any  injustice  I  may  have 
done  to  that  land  of-  freemen,  if  not  long  since  wholly  for 
gotten,  is  now  remembered  only  to  be  forgiven."  ' 

Even  a  cursory  examination  of  the  British  Travels  in 
America  already  noticed,  would  suggest  the  facility  and  de 
sirableness  of  a  judicious  compilation  therefrom.  It  is  easy 
to  imagine  a  volume  replete  with  information  and  attraction, 
gleanecl  by  a  discriminating  hand  from  such  copious  but  ill- 
digested  materials.  Omitting  the  mere  statistics  and  the 
extravagant  tales,  the  egotistical  episodes  and  the  coarse 
abuse,  there  remain  passages  of  admirable  description,  racy 
anecdotes,  and  genial  speculations  enough  to  form  a  choice 
picture  and  treatise  on  nature,  character,  and  life  in  the  New 
World.  It  is  surprising  that  such  an  experiment  has  not 
been  tried  by  one  of  the  many  tasteful  compilers  who  have 
sifted  the  grain  from  the  chaff  in  so  many  other  departments 
of  popular  literature.  The  attempt,  on  a  small  scale,  was 
made,  in  1810,  by  one  of  those  clever  female  writers  for  the 
young,  who,  about  that  period,  initiated  the  remarkable  and 
successful  department  of  juvenile  literature,  since  so  memo 
rably  illustrated  by  Maria  Edgeworth,  Mrs.  Barbauld,  Sir 
Walter  Scott,  Hans  Andersen,  and  other  endeared  writers. 
"  Excursions  in  North  America,  described  in  Letters  from  a 
Gentleman  and  his  Young  Companions  in  England,"  by  Pris- 
cilla  Wakefield,  was  a  favorite  little  work  among  the  children 
on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  half  a  century  ago.  It  is 
amusing  to  revert  to  these  early  sketches,  which  have  given 
to  many  minds,  now  mature,  their  first  and  therefore  their 
freshest  impressions  of  this  country.  Mrs.  Wakefield  drew 
her  materials  from  Jefferson,  Weld,  Rochefoucault,  Bartram, 
Michaux,  Carver,  and  Mackenzie,  and,  in  general,  uses  them 
with  tact  and  taste.  The  cities  and  scenery  of  the  land,  its 
customs  and  products,  are  well  described.  She  notes  some 
of  the  stereotyped  so-called  national  vulgarities  which  have, 
in  the  more  civilized  parts  of  the  country,  sensibly  diminished 
since  the  indignant  protests  of  travellers  reached  their  acme 
in  Mrs.  Trollope.  "  We  have  been,"  it  is  said  in  one  of  the 


216  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

letters,  "  once  or  twice  to  the  theatre,  but  the  company  in  the 
pit  have  such  a  disgusting  custom  of  drinking  wine  or  porter 
and  smoking  tobacco,  between  the  acts,  that  I  have  no  incli 
nation  to  visit  it  again." 

But  the  pleasantest  parts  of  her  book,  especially  consider 
ing  for  what  class  of  readers  it  is  intended,  are  those  which 
delineate  the  natural  features  and  productions.  Here,  for 
instance,  we  have  a  description  of  an  indigenous  tree,  now 
exalted  by  the  selfish  and  narrow  passions  of  a  small  and  sen 
sitive  community  into  an  emblem  of  political  hate  and  ungen 
erous  faction.  With  this  association  there  seems  a  .latent 
satire  in  the  details  of  the  arborescent  portrait.  "  The  Pal 
metto  Royal,  or  Adam's  Needle,  is  a  singular  tree.  They 
grow  so  thick  together,  that  a  bird  can  scarcely  penetrate 
between  them.  The  stiff  leaves  of  this  sword  plant,  stand 
ing  straight  out  from  the  trunk,  form  a  barrier  that  neither 
man  nor  beast  can  pass.  It  rises  with  an  erect  stem  about 
ten  or  twelve  feet  high,  crowned  with  a  chaplet  of  dagger- 
like  green  leaves,  with  a  stiff,  sharp  spur  at  the  end.  This 
thorny  crown  is  tipped  with  a  pyramid  of  white  flowers, 
shaped  like  a  tulip  or  lily ;  to  these  flowers  succeeds  a  larger 
fruit,  in  form  like  a  cucumber,  but,  when  ripe,  of  a  deep 
purple  color." 

"  We  scarcely  pass  ten  or  twelve  miles,"  says  another 
of  these  once  familiar  letters,  "  without  seeing  a  tavern,  as 
they  call  inns  in  this  country.  They  are  built  of  wood,  and 
resemble  one  another,  having  a  porch  in  front  the  length  of 
the  house,  almost  covered  with  handbills.  They  have  no 
sign,  but  take  their  name  from  the  person  that  keeps  the 
house,  who  is  often  a  man  of  consequence  ;  for  the  profession 
of  an  innkeeper  is  far  more  respected  in  America  than  in 
England.  Instead  of  supplying  their  guests  as  soon  as  they 
arrive,  they  make  everybody  conform  to  one  hour  for  the 
different  meals ;  so  you  must  go  without  your  dinner,  or 
delay  your  journey  till  the  innkeeper  pleases  to  lay  the 
cloth."  This  remark  on  the  country  taverns  as  they  were 
before  the  "  hotel "  had  become  characterized  by  size,  show, 


BRITISH    TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  217 

and  costliness,  strikes  us  as  most  natural,  coming  from  one 
only  acquainted  with  English  inns ;  and  the  independent  man 
ners  of  the  landlords  are  so  obvious  now,  that  a  foreign  writer 
declared  they  and  the  steamboat  captains  formed  the  only 
aristocracy  he  had  encountered  in  America ;  while  the  cus 
tom  of  arbitrarily  regulating  the  hours  for  meals,  and  the 
gregarious  manner  of  feeding,  led  a  Sicilian  to  complain  that 
the  guests  of  a  public  house  in  this  country,  were  treated  like 
friars  in  his  own. 

A  sensible  and  pleasant  but  not  very  profound  or  methodi 
cal  gentleman  of  Liverpool  published  "  Remarks  during  a 
Journey  through  l^orth  America  in  1819."  This  book,  writ 
ten  by  Adam  Hodgson,  Esq.,  was  published  in  this  country 
in  1823,  and  met  with  a  kindly  reception  on  account  of  the 
well-meaning  aim  and  disposition  of  the  writer,  whose  na 
tional  prejudices  were  expressed  in  a  more  calm  manner  than  by 
his  more  vulgar  countrymen  ;  while  a  tour  of  seven  thousand 
miles  had  furnished  him  with  a  good  amount  of  useful  knowl 
edge,  not,  however,  well  digested  or  arranged  ;  and  mingled 
therewith  are  certain  personal  tastes  and  views  amusing  and 
harmless,  that  lend  a  certain  piquancy  to  the  narrative.  He 
examined  the  country  with  an  eye  to  its  facilities  and  pros 
pects  for  the  emigrant,  and  thus  put  on  record  important  sta 
tistical  facts,  which  are  sometimes  ludicrously  blended  with 
matters  of  no  consequence.  He  so  admired  the  chorus  of 
frogs,  heard  in  the  stillness  of  the  night  at  one  place  of  his 
sojourn,  that  he  opened  his  window  to  listen  to  their  croak 
ing,  mistaking  it,  at  first,  for  the  notes  of  birds.  He  ex 
pressed  the  most  naive  surprise  at  finding  a  copy  of  the 
"  Dairyman's  Daughter  "  at  a  shop  in  Mobile ;  and  was  so 
nervous  in  regard  to  the  safety  of  his  baggage,  when  travel 
ling  by  stage  coach,  that  he  used  a  chain  and  padlock  of  his 
own,  and  held  the  cue  thereof.  He  enjoyed  Southern  hos 
pitality,  which,  however,  was  sadly  marred,  to  his  conscious 
ness,  by  slaveholding.  He  dined  on  turkey  every  day  for 
weeks,  with  apparently  undiminished  relish ;  and,  with 
amusing  pathos,  laments  that  the  "  absence  of  the  privileges  of 
10 


218  AMERICA  AND   HER  COMMENTATORS. 

primogeniture,  and  the  repeated  subdivision  of  property,  are 
gradually  effecting  a  change  in  the  structure  of  society  in  South 
Carolina,  and  will  shortly  efface  its  most  interesting  and  charac 
teristic  features."  "  His  book,"  wrote  Jared  Sparks,  "  is  cred 
itable  to  his  heart  and  his  principles.  We  should  be  glad  if 
as  much  could  be  said  for  his  discretion  and  judgment." 

C.  W.  Janson,  "  late  of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island,"  re 
sided  in  America  from  1793  to  1806,  and  published  in  Lon 
don,  the  year  after  the  latter  date,  "  The  Stranger  in  Amer 
ica,"  *  which  the  Edinburgh  Review  severely  criticizes ;  while 
John  Foster,  in  the  Eclectic,  awarded  it  much  praise. 

Henry  Caswell,  in  1849,  published  "America  and  the 
American  Church,  with, some  Account  of  the  Mormons,  in 
1842  ;  "  and  Robert  Barclay  issued  "  An  Agricultural  Tour  in 
the  United  States ;"  a  couple  of  volumes  entitled  "Travels 
through  Parts  of  the  United  States  and  Canada  in  1818-'!  9," 
and  "  A  Sabbath  among  the  Tuscaroras,"  are  dedicated  to  Prof. 
Silliman,  of  Yale  College.  A  small  work  appeared  anony 
mously  in  London  (1817),  entitled  "Travels  in  the  Interior 
of  America  in  1809,  '10,  and  '11,"  including  a  description 
of  Upper  Louisiana. 

Isaac  Holmes,  of  Liverpool,  gave  to  the  public,  in  1823, 
"  An  Account  of  the  United  States  of  America,  derived  from 
Observations  during  a  Residence  of  Four  Years  in  that 
Republic ; "  of  which  the  Quarterly  observes  that  its  author 
"  is  rather  diffuse  and  inaccurate,"  yet  gives  "  a  modest  and 
true  statement  of  things  as  they  are." 

A  rather  verbose  work  of  E.  S.  Abdy,  previously  known 
for  a  hygienic  essay,  was  read  extensively,  at  the  time  of  its 
appearance,  though  its  interest  was  quite  temporary.  It  de 
scribed,  in  detail,  a  "  Residence  and  Tour  in  the  United 
States  in  1833-'34." 

Sir  J.  Augustus  Foster,  Envoy  to  America  in  1811-'! 2, 
wrote  "  Notes  on  the  United  States,"  which  were  not  pub 
lished,  but  privately  circulated  ;  although  the  London  Quar- 

*  "  The  Stranger  in  America,"  by  Charles  William  Jansou,  engravings,  4to., 
London,  1807. 


BEITISH   TEAVELLEKS   AND   WRITERS.  219 

terly  declared  its  publication  desirable  "  on  both  sides  of 
the  Atlantic  ; "  and  Godley's  "  Letters  from  Canada  and  the 
United  States,"  published  in  London  in  1814,  contains  valu 
able  agricultural  data,  and  is  justly  characterized  by  the 
critical  journals  of  that  day  as  sensible  and  impartial.* 

There  was,  indeed,  from  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812,  for 
a  series  of  years,  an  inundation  of  English  books  of  travel, 
wherein  the  United  States,  their  people  and  prospects,  were 
discussed  with  a  monotonous  recapitulation  of  objections,  a 
superficial  knowledge,  and  a  predetermined  deprecation, 
which  render  the  task  of  analyzing  their  contents  and  esti 
mating  their  comparative  merit  in  the  highest  degree  weari 
some.  Redeemed,  in  some  instances,  by  piquant  anecdote, 

*  Among  other  works  of  British  writers  of  early  date  worth  consulting  are 
Governor  Bernard's  Letters ;  Burton  and  Oldmixon  on  the  British  Empire  in 
America ;  and  of  later  commentators,  as  either  amusing,  intelligent,  curious, 
or  salient,  sometimes  flippant  and  sometimes  sensible,  may  be  mentioned  Birk- 
beck's  "  Notes  of  a  Journey  in  America  in  1817  ;"  Kingdom's  "  Abstract  of  In 
formation  relative  to  the  United  States"  (London,  1820);  "Tour  in  North 
America,"  by  Henry  Tudor,  Barrister  (1834);  also  the  Travels  of  Bradbury, 
Shirrefif,  Byam,  Casey,  Cunningham,  Chambers,  Davison,  Feroll,  Finch,  Head, 
Latrobe,  Mackinnon,  McNish,  Majorbanks,  Park,  Sturge,  Sutcliffe,  Thomson, 
Thornton,  Turnbull,  Tasistro,  Shraff,  Warden,  Waterton,  Warburton,  Weston, 
Keating,  and  Lamber ;  Dixon,  Jameson,  Wright,  Dickinson,  and  Pursh ; 
Vigne  and  Gleig's  "  Subaltern  in  America,  a  Military  Journal  of  the  War  of 
1812,"  which  originally  appeared  in  Blackwood's  Magazine,  vol.  xxi. ;  J.  M.  Dun 
can's  Travels  (1818);  Tremenhere's  work  on  "  The  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  compared  with  that  of  Great  Britain  ;  "  Prof.  J.  F.  W.  Johnson's  "  Notes 
on  North  America,"  chiefly  agricultural  and  economical ;  Ousley's  "  Remarks 
on  the  Statistics  and  Political  Institutions  of  the  United  States  ; "  the  statisti 
cal  works  of  Seyber  and  Tucker;  A.  J.  Mason's  Lectures  on  the  United 
States  (London,  1841);  and  Flint's  "Letters  from  America,"  chiefly  devoted 
to  the  Western  States  (Edinburgh,  1822),  of  which  it  has  been  said  that 
"James  Flint  was  one  of  the  most  amiable,  accomplished,  and  truthful  foreign 
tourists  who  have  visited  America  and  left  a  record  of  their  impressions  :  he 
died  in  his  native  country  (Scotland),  a  few  years  after  his  book  was  pub 
lished."  Two  English  officers,  Colonel  Chesney  and  Lieut.-Colonel  Freemantle, 
published  brief  accounts  of  what  they  saw  and  gathered  from  others,  in  regard 
to  the  war  for  the  Union — too  superficial  and  prejudiced  to  have  any  lasting 
value ;  and  Mr.  Dicey,  the  young  correspondent  of  a  liberal  London  journal, 
collected  and  published  a  narrative  of  his  experience,  candid,  but  of  limited 
scope  and  insight. 


220  AMERICA  AND   HER  COMMENTATORS. 

interesting  adventure,  or  some  grace  of  style  or  originality 
of  view,  they  are,  for  the  most  part,  shallow,  egotistical,  and 
more  or  less  repetitions  of  each  other.  So  systematic  and 
continuous,  however,  are  the  tone  of  abuse  and  the  purpose 
of  disparagement,  that  the  subject  claims  separate  considera 
tion.  Among  those  works  that  attracted  special  attention, 
from  the  antecedents  of  their  authors  or  a  characteristic 
manner  of  treating  their  subject,  was  the  once  familiar  book 
of  Captain  Basil  Hall,  R.  N.,  the  Journal  of  Fanny  Kemble, 
and  the  "  Notes  "  of  Dickens.  Of  the  former,  Everett  justly 
remarked,  in  the  North  American  Review,  that  "  this  work 
will  furnish  food  to  the  appetite  for  detraction  which  reigns 
in  Great  Britain  toward  this  country;"  while  even  Black- 
wood's  Magazine,  congenial  as  was  the  spirit  of  the  work  to 
its  Tory  perversities,  though  characterizing  Captain  Hall's 
observations  as  "just  and  profound,"  declared  they  were 
"  too  much  tinctured  by  his  ardent  fancy  to  form  a  safe  guide 
on  the  many  debated  subjects  of  national  institutions."  A 
like  protest  against  the  authenticity  of  Fearon,  a  London 
surgeon,  who  published  "  A  Narrative  of  a  Journey  of  Five 
Thousand  Miles  through  the  Eastern  and  Western  States  of 
America,*  was  uttered  by  Sydney  Smith,  who  wrote,  as  his 
critical  opinion,  that  "  Mr.  Fearon  is  a  much  abler  writer  than 
either  Palmer  or  Bradbury,  but  no  lover  of  America,  and  a 
little  given  to  exaggerate  his  views  of  vices  and  prejudices  ;" 
which  estimate  was  confirmed  by  the  London  Review,  which 
declared  that  the  "  tone  of  ill  temper  which  this  author  usu 
ally  manifests,  in  speaking  of  the  American  character,  has 
gained  for  his  work  the  approbation  of  persons  who  regard 
that  country  with  peculiar  jealousy." 

So  obvious  and  prevalent  had  now  become  this  "  peculiar 
jealousy,"  that  when,  in  1833,  the  flippant  "  Observations  on 
the  Professions,  Manners,  and  Emigration  in  the  United 
States  and  Canada,"  of  the  Rev.  Isaac  Fiddler,  appeared,  the 

*  "  Narrative  of  a  Journey  of  Five  Thousand  Miles  through  the  Eastern 
and  Western  States,  with  Remarks  on  Mr.  Birkbeck's  Notes,"  by  Henry  B. 
Fearon,  8vo.,  London,  1818. 


BRITISH   TEAVELLEKS   AND   WRITERS.  221 

North  American  Review  truly  said,  of  it :  "  This  is  another 
of  those  precious  specimens  of  books  with  which  John  Bull 
is  now  regularly  humbugged  three  or  four  times  a  year."  It 
seemed  to  be  deemed  essential  to  every  popular  author  of 
Great  Britain,  in  whatever  department,  to  write  a  book  on 
America.  In  those  instances  where  this  task  was  achieved 
by  men  of  science,  valuable  knowledge  gave  interest  to  spe 
cial  observation ;  as  in  the  case  of  Lyell,  Featherstonaugh, 
and  Combe,  three  writers  whose  scientific  knowledge  and 
objects  give  dignity,  interest,  and  permanent  value  to  their 
works  on  America:  but  the  novelists  signally  failed,  from 
inaptitude  for  political  disquisition,  or  a  constant  eye  to  the 
exactions  of  prejudice  at  home.  Marryatt  and  Dickens 
added  nothing  to  their  reputations  as  writers  by  their  super 
ficial  and  sneering  disquisitions  on  America.  .Yet,  however 
philosophically  superficial  and  exaggerated  in  fastidiousness, 
the  great  charm  of  Dickens  as  an  author — his  humanity,  the 
most  real  and  inspiring  element  of  his  nature — was  as  true, 
and  therefore  prophetic,  in  these  "  Notes,"  as  in  .his  delinea 
tions  of  human  life.  Of  the  long  bane  of  our  civic  integrity 
and  social  peace  and  purity — of  slavery,  his  words  were 
authentic : 

"  All  those  owners,  breeders,  users,  buyers,  and  sellers  of  slaves, 
who  will,  until  the  "bloody  chapter  has  a  bloody  end,  own,  breed,  use, 
buy,  and  sell  them  at  all  hazards ;  who  doggedly  deny  the  horrors  of 
the  system,  in  the  teeth  of  such  a  mass  of  evidence  as  never  was 
brought  to  bear  on  any  other  subject,  and  to  which  the  experience 
of  every  day  contributes  its  immense  amount ;  who  would,  at  this  or 
any  other  moment,  gladly  involve  America  in  a  war,  civil  or  foreign, 
provided  that  it  had  for  its  sole  end  and  object  the  assertion  of  their 
riglit  to  perpetuate  slavery,  and  to  whip,  and  work,  and  torture 
slaves,  unquestioned  by  any  human  authority,  and  tmassailed  by  any 
human  power;  who,  when  tbey  speak  of  freedom,  mean  the  free 
dom  to  oppress  their  kind,  and  to  be  savage,  merciless,  and  cruel ; 
and  of  whom  every  man,  on  his  own  ground,  in  republican  America, 
is  a  more  exacting,  and  a  sterner,  and  a  less  responsible  despot,  than 
the  Caliph  Haroim  Alraschid,  in  his  angry  robe  of  scarlet." 

Of  the  female  writers,  there  is  more  reflection  and  knowl- 


222  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

edge  in  the  remarks  of  Mrs.  Jameson  and  Miss  Martineau ; 
while  nothing  can  exceed  the  indelicacy  and  want  of  insight, 
not  to  say  absurdities,  of  the  Hon.  Amelia  Murray — other 
books,  however,  by  female  writers,  are,  despite  their  unjusti 
fiable  personalities,  grateful  records  of  hospitalities  and  ex 
periences,  well  enough  for  private  letters. 

The  histrionic  commentators,  like  Power  and  Fanny  Kem- 
ble,  and  the  naval  annotators,  like  Hall  and  Mackinnon,  are  re 
markable  for  a  certain  abandon  and  superficiality.  Silk  Buck 
ingham*  much  enlarged  the  previous  statistical  data,  and 
Francis  Wyse  collected  some  valuable  expositions  of  America's 
"Realities  and  Resources."  Abdy  and  Duncan,  Finch  and 
Graham,  Lang  and  Latrobe,  Waterton  and  Thomson,  Palmer 
and  Bradbury,  Wright  and  Mellish,  with  scores  of  others, 
found  readers  and  critics ;  and  a  catalogue  raisonne  of  the 
series  of  books  on  America  between  Ashe  and  Anthony  Trol- 
lope,  would  prove  quite  as  ephemeral  in  character  as  volu 
minous.  It  is  interesting  to  turn  from  the  glowing  impres 
sions  of  American  scenery,  the  ingenuous  hatred  of  the 
"  press  gang,"  and  unscrupulous  personal  revelations  of  Fanny 
Kenible's  "  Journal  of  Travel  in  America,"  written  in  the 
buoyant  and  brilliant  youth  of  the  gifted  girl,  to  the  details 
and  descriptions  of  "  Life  on  a  Southern  Plantation,"  re 
corded  by  the  earnest  and  pitiful  woman,  and  published  at  so 
critical  a  moment  of  our  national  struggle,  to  enlighten  and 
chide  her  countrymen. 

One  of  the  most  contemptible  of  the  detractors  was  a 
vulgar  English  farmer,  named  Faux,  whose  "  Memorable 
Days  in  America  "  was  thought  worthy  of  critical  recogni 
tion  by  the  once  famous  reviewer,  Gifford.  Among  the 

*  "  America,  Historical,  Statistic,  and  Descriptive,"  3  vols. ;  "  Eastern  and 
Western  States,"  3  vols. ;  "  Slave  States,"  2  vols. ;  "  Canada,  Nova  Scotia, 
Xew  Brunswick,  and  other  British  Provinces,"  1  vol. ;  in  all,  9  handsome  vols. 
8vo.,  by  J.  S.  Buckingham,  London,  1841-'3.  One  of  the  most  interesting 
series  of  works  descriptive  of  the  New  World  which  has  ever  emanated  from 
the  press.  These  volumes  contain  a  fund  of  knowledge  on  every  subject  con 
nected  with  America :  its  rise  and  progress  ;  the  education,  manners,  and 
merits  of  its  inhabitants :  its  manufactures,  trade,  population,  etc. 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  223 

absurd  calumnies  of  this  ignorant  scribbler,  were  such  grave 
statements  as  that  poisoned  chickens  were  served  to  him  at 
Portsmouth  ;  that  the  Mississippi  boatmen  habitually  rob  the 
sheep  folds ;  that  Boston  people  take  their  free  negroes  to 
Carolina,  and  sell  them  as  slaves  ;  and  that,  in  America,  "  the 
want  of  an  established  religion  has  made  the  bulk  of  the 
people  either  infidels  or  fanatics." 

Among  the  exceptions  to  that  general  rule  of  ignorance 
and  crudity  which  marks  the  hasty  records  of  American 
travel  by  English  tourists,  when  a  visit  to  America,  while  no 
longer  adventurous,  was  yet  comparatively  rare,  is  the  once 
famous  book  of  Captain  Thomas  Hamilton.  The  author  of 
a  successful  novel  of  modern  life — as  far  as  literary  cultiva 
tion  may  be  considered  an  element  of  success — this  intelli 
gent  British  officer  claims  the  consideration  which  is  due  to  a 
scholar  and  a  gentleman,  although  he  was  not  the  highest 
exemplar  of  either  title.  He  discussed  "  Men  and  Manners 
in  America  "  neither  as  a  philosopher  nor  as  an  artist.  There 
is  no  great  scope  or  originality  in  his  speculations,  no  very 
profound  insight ;  and  the  more  refined  tone  of  his  work  is 
somewhat  marred  by  the  same  flippancy  and  affectation  of 
superior  taste,  which  give  such  a  cockney  pertness  to  so 
many  of  his  countrymen's  written  observations  when  this 
country  is  the  theme.  Two  merits,  however,  distinguished 
the  work  and  yet  make  it  worthy  of  attention — a  better 
style,  and  superior  powers  of  description.  Captain  Hamil 
ton's  prejudices  warped  his  observation  of  our  political  and 
social  life,  and  make  his  report  thereof  limited  and  unjust ; 
but  there  is  a  vividness  and  finish  about  his  accounts  of  natu 
ral  beauty — such  as  the  description  of  Niagara  and  the  Mis 
sissippi — which,  although  since  excelled  by  many  writers, 
native  and  foreign,  at  the  time  (1833)  was  a  refreshing  con 
trast  to  previous  attempts  of  a  like  nature.  Itlackwood 
recognized  his  political  bias  in  commending  the  work  "  as 
valuable  at  the  present  crisis,  when  all  the  ancient  institu 
tions  of  oar  country  are  successively  melting  away  under  the 
powerful  solvent  of  democratic  institutions." 


224:  AMERICA  AND   HER  COMMENTATORS. 

Parkinson  was  an  English  farmer,  and  therefore  might 
be  supposed  capable  of  producing  at  least  a  valuable  agricul 
tural  report;  but  impartial  critics  declared  him  both  impu 
dent  and  mendacious.  Stuart's  book  *  owed  somewhat  of  its 
casual  notoriety  to  the  circumstance  that  he  fled  to  America 
because  he  had  killed  Lord  Auchinleck,  BoswelTs  son,  in  a 
duel  at  Edinburgh ;  and  beguiled  months  of  his  involuntary 
exile  at  Hoboken,  "N.  Y.,  in  writing  his  experience  and  im 
pressions.  The  Edinburgh  JZeview  says  of  another  of  the 
countless  writers  on  this  prolific  theme — Birkbeck  :  "  Detest 
ing  his  principles,  we  praise  his  entertaining  volume."  f  . 

Harriet  Martineau,  through  her  Unitarian  associations, 
became  at  once,  on  her  arrival  in  the  United  States,  intimate 
with  the  leading  members  of  that  highly. intellectual  denomi 
nation,  and  thus  enjoyed  the  best  social  opportunities  for 
acquiring  a  knowledge  of  the  country  and  a  favorable  impres 
sion  of  its  average  culture.  To  this  advantage  she  added 
liberal  sympathies,  an  earnest  spirit  of  inquiry,  and  a  decided 
power  of  descriptive  writing.  Accordingly  we  find,  in  her 
work,  a  warm  appreciation  of  what  is  humane  and  progres 
sive  in  American  institutions,  right  and  wise  in  society,  and 
beautiful  or  picturesque  in  nature.  She  often  adopts  a  view 
and  makes  a  general  statement  upon  inadequate  grounds. 
Her  generalizations  are  not  always  authentic ;  but  the  spirit 
and  execution  of  her  work  are  a  vast  improvement  upon  the 
flippant  detraction  of  less  intelligent  and  aspiring  writers. 
As  in  so  many  instances  before  and  since,  her  gravest  errors, 
both  as  to  facts  and  reasoning,  may  be  traced  to  inferences 
from  partisan  testimony,  or  the  statements  of  uninformed 
acquaintance — a  process  which  hasty  travellers  bent  on  book 
making  are  forced  to  have  recourse  to.  Where  she  observed, 
she  recorded  effectively  ;  when  her  informant  was  duly 
equipped  for  his  catechism,  she  "  set  in  a  note  book "  what 
was  worth  preserving ;  but  often,  relying  on  hearsay  evi- 

*  "Three  Years  in  America,"  by  James  Stuart,  3  vols.,  Edinburgh,  1823. 
f  "  Notes  on  a  Journey  from  Virginia  to  the  Territory  of  Illinois,"  by  Mor 
ris  Birkbeck,  with  a  map,  8vo.,  Dublin,  1818. 


BRITISH   TEAYELLEES    AND   WE1TEES.  225 

dcnce  and  casual  statements,  inevitably  mistakes  occurred ; 
but  these  do  not  invalidate  her  arguments  or  diminish  her 
authority,  when  fairly  provided  with  the  opportunity  to  ex 
amine  herself,  or  correctly  informed  by  others.  Blackwood 
condemned  her  book  with  an  asperity  that  is  prima  facie 
evidence  that  it  has  considerable  merit.  "  Nothing,"  says 
that  trenchant  and  Tory  oracle,  in  reference  thereto,  "  noth 
ing  can  rectify  a  reformer's  vision,  and  no  conviction  of 
inadequacy  prevent  any  of  the  class  from  lecturing  all  man 
kind." 

Of  this  class  of  books,  however,  none  made  so  strong  a 
popular  impression  as  the  "  Domestic  Manners  of  the  Ameri 
cans,"  by  Mrs.  Trollope — a  circumstance  that  the  reader  of 
our  own  day  finds  it  difficult  to  explain,  until  he  recalls  and 
reflects  upon  the  facts  of  the  case ;  for  the  book  is  superior 
to  the  average  of  a  like  scope,  in  narrative  interest.  It  is 
written  in  a  lively,  confident  style,  and,  before  the  subjects 
treated  had  become  so  familiar  and  hackneyed,  must  have 
proved  quite  entertaining.  The  name  of  the  writer,  how 
ever,  was,  for  a  long  period,  and  still  is,  to  a  certain  extent, 
more  identified  with  the  unsparing  social  critics  of  the  coun 
try  than  any  other  in  the  long  catalogue  of  modern  British 
travellers  in  America.  Until  recently,  the  sight  of  a  human 
foot  protruding  over  the  gallery  of  a  Western  theatre  was 
hailed  with  the  instant  and  vociferous  challenge,  apparently 
undisputed  as  authoritative,  of  "  Trollope !  "  whereupon  the 
obnoxious  member  was  withdrawn  from  sight ;  and  the  in 
ference  to  a  stranger's  mind  became  inevitable,  that  this  best- 
abused  writer  on  America  was  a  beneficent,  practical  re 
former. 

The  truth  is,  that  Mrs.  Trollope's  powers  of  observation 
are  remarkable.  What  she  sees,  she  describes  with  vivacity, 
and  often  with  accurate  skill.  No  one  can  read  her  Travels 
in  Austria  without  acknowledging  the  vigor  and  brightness 
of  her  mind.  Personal  disappointment  in  a  pecuniary  enter 
prise  vexed  her  judgment ;  and,  like  so  many  of  her  nation, 
she  thoroughly  disliked  the  political  institutions  of  the  Unitedj 
10*  * 


226  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

States,  was  on  the  lookout  for  social  anomalies  and  personal 
defects,  and  persistent,  like  her  "  unreasoning  sex,"  in  attrib 
uting  all  that  was  offensive  or  undesirable  in  her  experience 
to  the  prejudice  she  cherished.  Moreover,  her  experience 
itself  was  limited  and  local.  She  entered  the  country  more 
than  thirty  years  ago,  at  New  Orleans,  and  passed  most  of 
the  time,  during  her  sojourn,  amid  the  new  and  thriving  but 
crude  and  confident  Western  communities,  where  neither 
manners  nor  culture,  economy  nor  character  had  attained 
any  well-organized  or  harmonious  development.  The  self- 
love  of  these  independent  but  sometimes  rough  pioneers  of 
civilization,  was  wounded  by  the  severe  comments  of  a  stran 
ger  who  had  shared  their  hospitality,  when  she  expatiated  on 
their  reckless  use  of  tobacco,  their  too  free  speech  and  angu 
lar  attitudes  ;  but,  especially,  when  all  their  shortcomings  were 
declared  the  natural  result  of  republican  institutions.  Hence 
the  outcry  her  book  occasioned,  and  the  factitious  impor 
tance  attached  thereto.  Not  a  single  fault  is  found  recorded 
by  her,  which  our  own  writers,  and  every  candid  citizen,  have 
not  often  admitted  and  complained  of.  The  fast  eating, 
boastful  talk,  transient  female  beauty,  inadequate  domestic 
service,  abuse  of  calomel  as  a  remedy,  copious  and  careless 
expectoration,  free  and  easy  manners,  superficial  culture,  and 
many  other  traits,  more  or  less  true  now  as  then,  here  or 
there,  are  or  have  been  normal  subjects  of  animadversion. 
It  was  not  because  Mrs.  Trollope  did  not  write  much  truth 
about  the  country  and  the  people,  that,  among  classes  of  the 
latter,  her  name  was  a  reproach  ;  but  because  she  reasoned  so 
perversely,  and  did  not  take  the  pains  to  ascertain  the  whole 
truth,  and  to  recognize  the  compensatory  facts  of  American 
life.  But  this  objection  should  have  been  reconciled  by  her 
candor.  She  frankly  declares  that  her  chief  object  is  "  to 
encourage  her  countrymen  to  hold  fast  by  the  Constitution 
that  insures  all  the  blessings  which  flow  from  established 
habits  and  solid  principles  ;"  and  elsewhere  remarks  that  the 
dogma  "  that  all  men  are  born  free  and  equal  has  done,  is 
doing,  and  will  do  much  harm  to  this  fair  country."  Her 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  227 

sympathies  overflow  toward  an  English  actor,  author,  and 
teacher  she  encounters,  and  she  feels  a  pang  at  Andre's 
grave  ;  but  she  looks  with  the  eye  of  criticism  only  on  the 
rude  masses  who  are  turning  the  wilderness  into  cities,  re 
fusing  to  see  any  prosperity  or  progress  in  the  scope  and 
impulse  of  democratic  principles.  "  Some  of  the  native 
political  economists,"  she  writes,  "  assert  that  this  rapid  con 
version  of  a  bearbrake  into  a  prosperous  city  is  the  result  of 
free  political  institutions.  Not  being  very  deep  in  such  mat 
ters,  a  more  obvious  cause  suggested  itself  to  me,  in  the 
unceasing  goad  which  necessity  applies  to  industry  in  this 
country,  and  in  the  absence  of  all  resources  for  the  idle." 
Without  discussing  the  abstract  merits  of  her  theory,  it  is 
obvious  that  a  preconceived  antipathy  to  the  institutions  of  a 
country  unfits  even  a  sensible  and  frank  writer  for  social  criti 
cism  thereon  ;  and,  in  this  instance,  the  writer  seems  to  have 
known  comparatively  few  of  the  more  enlightened  men,  and 
to  have  enjoyed  the  intimacy  of  a  still  smaller  number  of  the 
higher  class  of  American  women ;  so  that,  with  the  local  and 
social  data  she  chiefly  relied  on,  her  conclusions  are  only 
unjust  inasmuch  as  they  are  too  general.  She  describes  well 
what  strikes  her  as  new  and  curious ;  but  her  first  impres 
sions,  always  so  influential,  were  forlorn.  The  flat  shores  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  in  winter,  the  muddy  current, 
pelicans,  snags,  and  bulrushes,  were  to  her  a  desolate  change 
from  the  bright  blue  ocean ;  but  the  flowers  and  fruits  of 
Louisiana,  the  woods  and  the  rivers,  as  they  opened  to  her 
view,  brought  speedy  consolation  ;  which,  indeed,  was  modi 
fied  by  disagreeable  cookery,  bad  roads,  illness,  thunder 
storms,  and  unpleasant  manners  and  customs — the  depressing 
influence  of  which,  however,  did  not  prevent  her  expatiating 
with  zest  and  skill  upon  the  camp  meetings,  snakes,  insects, 
elections,  house  moving,  queer  phrases,  dress,  bugs,  lingo, 
parsons,  politicians,  figures,  faces,  and  opinions  which  came 
within  her  observation. 

"With    more   perspicacity  and   less   prejudice,   she  Avould 
have  acknowledged  the  temporary  character  of  many  of  the 


228  AMERICA    AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

facts  of  the  hour,  emphasized  by  her  pen  as  permanent.  The 
superficial  reading  she  notes,  for  instance,  was  but  the  eager 
thirst  for  knowledge  that  has  since  expanded  into  so  wide  a 
habit  of  culture  that  the  statistics  of  the  book  trade  in  the 
United  States  have  become  one  of  the  intellectual  marvels  of 
the  age.  Her  investigation  as  to  the  talent,  sources  of  dis 
cipline,  and  development,  were  extremely  incurious  and 
slight ;  hence,  what  she  says  of  our  statesmen  and  men  of 
letters  is  too  meagre  for  comment.  The  only  American  au 
thor  she  appears  to  have  known  well  was  Flint ;  and  her 
warm  appreciation  of  his  writings  and  conversation,  indicates 
what  a  better  knowledge  of  our  scholars  and  eminent  profes 
sional  men  would  have  elicited  from  so  shrewd  an  observer. 
The  redeeming  feature  of  her  book  is  the  love  of  nature  it 
exhibits.  American  scenery  often  reconciles  her  to  the  bad 
food  and  worse  manners ;  the  waterfalls,  rivers,  and  forests 
are  themes  of  perpetual  admiration.  "  So  powerful,"  she 
writes  of  a  passage  down  one  of  the  majestic  streams  of  the 
West,  "  was  the  effect  of  this  sweet  scenery,  that  we  ceased 
to  grumble  at  our  dinners  and  suppers."  Strange  to  say,  she 
was  delighted  with  the  city  of  Washington,  extols  the  Capi 
tol,  and  recognizes  the  peculiar  merits  of  Philadelphia.  In 
fact,  when  she  writes  of  what  she  sees,  apart  from  prejudice, 
there  are  true  woman's  wit  and  sense  in  her  descriptions ;  but 
she  does  not  discriminate,  or  patiently  inquire.  Her  book  is 
one  of  impressions — some  very  just,  and  others  casual.  She 
was  provoked  at  being  often  told,  in  reply  to  some  remark, 
"  That  is  because  you  know  so  little  of  America  ; "  and  yet 
the  observation  is  one  continually  suggested  by  her  too  hasty 
conclusions.  With  all  its  defects,  however,  few  of  the  class 
of  books  to  which  it  belongs  are  better  worth  reading  now 
than  this  once  famous  record  of  Mrs.  Trollope.  It  has  a  cer 
tain  freshness  and  boldness  about  it  that  explain  its  original 
popularity.  Its  tone,  also,  in  no  small  degree  explains  its  un 
popularity  ;  for  the  writer,  quoting  a  remark  of  Basil  Hall's, 
to  the  effect  that  the  great  difference  between  Americans  and 
English  is  the  want  of  loyalty,  declares  it,  in  her  opinion,  is 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  229 

the  want  of  refinement.  And  it  is  upon  this  that  she  harps 
continually  in  her  strictures,  while  the  reader  is  offended  by 
the  identical  deficiency  in  herself;  and  herein  we  find  the 
secret  of  the  popular  protest  the  book  elicited  on  this  side  of 
the  water  ;  for  those  who  felt  they  needed  to  be  lectured  on 
manners,  repudiated  such  a  female  writer  as  authoritative, 
and  regarded  her  assumption  of  the  office  as  more  than  gra 
tuitous. 

The  interest  excited  by  many  of  the  now  forgotten  books 
at  which  we  have  glanced,  can  only  be  compared  to  that 
which  attends  a  new  novel  by  a  popular  author.  Curiosity, 
pique,  self-love,  and  indignation  were  alternately  awakened. 
Hospitable  people  found  themselves  outraged,  and  communica 
tive  tuft  hunters  betrayed ;  provincial  self-complacency  was 
sadly  disturbed,  and  the  countless  readers  of  the  land,  for 
weeks,  talked  only  of  the  coarse  comments  of  Mrs.  Trollope, 
the  descriptive  powers  of  Captain  Hamilton,  the  kindly  views 
of  the  Hon.  Augustus  Murray,  the  conceit  of  Basil  Hall,  the 
good  sense  of  Combe,  the  frankness  of  Fanny  Butler,  the 
impertinence  of  Fiddler,  the  elaborate  egotism  of  Silk  Buck 
ingham,  the  scientific  knowledge  of  Featherstonaugh  and 
Lyell,  the  indelicate  personalities  of  Fredrika  Bremer,  the 
masculine  assurance  of  Miss  Martineau,  and  the  ungrateful 
caricatures  of  Dickens,  as  exhibited  in  their  respective  ac 
counts  of  American  life,  institutions,  resources,  and  manners. 

One  of  the  latest  of  this  class  of  Travels  in  America,  is 
an  elaborate  work  entitled  "  Civilized  America,"  by  Thomas 
Colley  Grattan.  Although  this  writer  commences  his  book 
by  defining  the  Americans  "  a  people  easy  of  access,  but  diffi 
cult  to  understand,"  and  declares  that  "  no  one  who  writes 
7  * 

about  the  United  States  should  be  considered  an  oracle,"  he 
is  behind  none  of  his  predecessors  in  the  complacency  and 
confidence  with  which  he  handles  a  confessedly  difficult  sub 
ject.  He  thinks  that  "  it  is  in  masses  that  the  people  of  this 
country  are  to  be  seen  to  the  greatest  advantage ; "  not 
apparently  recognizing  the  fact  that  this  is  the  distinctive  aim 
of  republican  institutions — the  special  compensation  for  the 


230  AMERICA   AND   HEK   COMMENTATORS. 

absence  of  those  monopolies  and  that  exclusiveness  whereby 
the  individual  in  Europe  is  gratified  at  the  expense  of  the 
multitude.  He  notes  the  "  sacrifice  of  individual  eminence, 
and  consequently  of  personal  enjoyment " — a  result  of  the 
same  spirit  of  humanity  which  cherishes  manhood  and  woman 
hood  as  such,  and,  therefore,  cheerfully  loses  the  chance  of 
individual  aggrandizement,  in  so  far  as  it  implies  superiority 
to  and  immunity  from  the  universal  and  equal  development 
or  opportunity  therefor,  whether  of  character,  talent,  material 
welfare,  or  social  position.  Our  educational  system,  public 
men,  some  of  the  current  political  problems  and  parties,  the 
Irish  in  America,  relations  between  England  and  the  United 
States,  slavery,  and  other  general  subjects,  are  treated  of 
with  little  originality,  but  occasionally  illustrated  by  facts 
which  to  a  British  reader  may  be  new  and  suggestive.  The 
old  sarcasms  about  the  bad  architecture  in  our  cities,  and  the 
limited  triumphs  in  art  and  literature  yet  achieved  ;  the  usiial 
sentimental  protest  against  the  slight  local  attachments,  the 
hurry,  and  the  unrecreative  habits  and  want  of  taste  that 
prevail ;  the  hackneyed  complaint  of  unscientific  regimen, 
with  especial  reference  to  the  indigestible  nature  of  dough 
nuts,  salt  fish  and  chowder ;  and  th£  baneful  variety  of 
alcoholic  drinks,  and  their  vulgar  names,  diversify  the  grave 
discussion  of  questions  of  polity  and  character. 

It  is  surprising  that  a  native  of  Great  Britain  should  find 
punctuality  at  meals  and  the  condition  of  women  in  Amer 
ica  themes  of  animadversion  ;  and  that  conceit  and  flippancy 
should  strike  him  as  so  common  on  this  side  of  the  water ; 
and  narrowness  of  mind,  as  well  as  the  want  of  independ 
ence,  be  regarded  as  characteristic.  In  these  and  several 
other  instances,  the  reader  familiar  with  life  and  manners  in 
England,  and  alive  to  the  indications  of  character  in  style 
and  modes  of  thought,  cannot  but  suspect  him  of  drawing 
upon  his  experience  at  home  and  his  own  consciousness,  quite 
as  much  as  from  intelligent  observation  here.  At  all  events, 
it  is  obvious  that  he  is  piqued  into  indignation  by  some  spe 
cial  experience  of  his  own  while  British  Consul  in  Boston ; 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  231 

for  that  "  hub  of  the  universe "  is  not  the  nucleus  about 
which  either  his  sympathies  or  his  magnanimity  revolve. 
Great  ameliorations  have  occurred  in  "  Civilized  America  " 
since  Mr.  Grattan  left  her  shores.  Nothing  shows  the  prog 
ress  of  the  country  more  emphatically  than  the  obsolete  sig 
nificance  of  many  of  his  remarks.  They  often  do  not  apply 
to  the  United  States  of  to-day ;  and  both  that  country  and 
the  reading  public  generally  have  outgrown  the  need  and  the 
taste  for  this  kind  of  petty  fault-finding,  which  fails  to  com 
prehend  the  spirit  of  the  people,  the  true  scope  of  the  insti 
tutions,  the  real  law  of  life,  labor,  and  love,  whereof  the 
communities  gathered  on  this  vast  and  prolific  continent  are 
the  representatives.  Not  as  a  nursery  of  local  manners,  a 
sphere  for  casual  social  experiments,  an  arena  for  conven 
tional  development ;  but  as  the  scene  of  a  free  expansion  and 
assertion  of  the  rights  of  humanity,  a  refuge  for  the  victims 
of  outgrown  systems  and  over-populated  countries,  a  home 
for  man  as  such,  a  land  where  humanity  modifies  and  moulds 
nationality,  by  virtue  of  the  unimpeded  range  and  frank 
recognition  thereof,  in  the  laws,  the  opportunities,  the  equal 
rights  established  and  enjoyed,  is  America  to  be  discussed 
and  understood ;  for  her  civilization,  when  and  where  it  is 
truly  developed,  is  cosmopolitan,  not  sectional — human,  not 
formal. 

In  1850,  the  Earl  of  Carlisle  delivered  before  the  Me 
chanics'  Institute  of  Leeds  a  lecture  embodying  his  observa 
tions  and  comments  during  a  tour  in  the  United  States; 
which  was  subsequently  published  and  read  with  much  inter 
est  by  his  lordship's  numerous  friends  on  this  side  of  the 
Atlantic.  A  candid  discussion  of  social  defects  and  political 
dangers  is  mingled,  in  this  work,  with  a  just  appreciation  of 
the  privileges  and  prosperity  of  the  country.  The  American 
edition  was  widely  circulated,  and  justly  estimated  as  one  of 
the  most  frank,  kindly,  and  intelligent  expositions  of  a 
familiar  but  suggestive  theme,  which  had  yet  appeared. 
Though  limited  in  scope,  it  is  unpretending  in  tone  and 
genial  in  feeling. 


232  AMEEICA   AND    HER   COMMENTATORS. 

In  1862,  thirty  years  after  Mrs.  Trollope  gave  to  the 
world  her  opinion  of  the  "  Domestic  Manners  of  the  Ameri 
cans,"  her  son  Anthony  published  his  •  book  on  "  North 
America."  *  His  novels  illustrative  of  Irish  and  ecclesiasti 
cal  life,  had  made  his  name  and  abilities  as  a  writer  familiar 
on  this  side  erf  the  water.  These  works  of  fiction  have  for 
their  chief  merit  an  adherence  to  fact.  The  characters  are 
not  modelled  on  an  ideal  standard,  the  incidents  are  seldom 
extraordinary,  and  the  style  is  the  reverse  of  glowing.  Care 
ful  observation,  good  sense,  an  apparently  conscientious  re 
gard  to  the  truth,  make  them  a  singular  exception  to  the 
popular  novels  of  the  day.  The  author  is  no  imaginative 
enthusiast  or  psychological  artist,  but  he  is  an  intelligent  and 
accurate  reporter  of  life  as  he  sees  it,  of  men  and  things  as 
they  are ;  and  if  the  subject  interests  his  reader,  he  will 
derive  very  clear  and  very  just  ideas  of  those  forms  and 
phases  of  British  experience  and  economy  with  which  these 
books  so  patiently  deal.  Mr.  Troll ope's  account  of  his  visit 
to  the  West  Indies  is  recognized,  by  competent  judges,  as 
one  of  the  most  faithful  representations  of  the  actual  con 
dition  of  those  islands,  and  especially  of  the  normal  traits 
and  tendencies  of  the  negro,  which  has  appeared.  Accord 
ingly,  he  seems  to  have  been  remarkably  fitted  to  record  with 
candid  intelligence  what  he  saw  arid  felt  while  visiting  North 
America ;  and  this  he  has  done.  The  speciality  of  his  book 
is,  that  it  treats  of  the  Rebellion,  and  is  the  first  elaborate 
report  thereof  by  a  British  eyewitness.  Its  defects  are  those 
of  limited  opportunities,  an  unfavorable  period,  and  a  super 
ficial  experience  warped  by  certain  national  proclivities,  which 
the  feeling  at  work  around  him  inevitably  exasperated ;  and 
further  modified  by  the  circumstance  that  he  is  a  Govern 
ment  employe  and  an  English  author.  His  spirit  and  intent, 
however,  are  so  obviously  manful  and  considerate,  that  his 
American  readers  are  disarmed  as  soon  as  they  are  vexed,  by 
whatever  strikes  them  as  unfair  or  indiscriminate.  Yet, 
friendly  as  is  the  sentiment  he  challenges  by  his  frankness, 
*  "North  America,"  by  Anthony  Trollope,  New  York,  1862. 


BRITISH    TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  233 

good  sense,  and  good  nature,  one  cannot  avoid  feeling  some 
what  impatient  at  the  gratuitous  tone  of  criticism,  and  the 
wearisome  repetition  and  re-discussion  of  the  most  familiar 
subjects.  If,  as  Mr.  Trollope  says,  it  has  been  "  the  ambition 
of  his  literary  life  to  write  a  book  about  the  United  States," 
why  did  he  not  consult  what  has  already  been  written,  and 
give  an  adequate  period  and  study  to  the  subject  ?  Scarcely 
a  topic  upon  which  he  dilates  as  a  grievance,  has  escaped  like 
treatment  from  scores  of  his  predecessors  in  this  field,  and 
been  humorously  exposed  or  cleverly  discussed  by  our  own 
authors ;  and  yet  he  gravely  returns  to  the  charge,  as  if  a 
newly  discovered  social  anomaly  claimed  his  perspicacious 
analysis.  This  unconsciousness  of  the  hackneyed  nature  of 
the  objections  to  American  civilization,  or  want  thereof,  is 
the  more  amusing  from  a  certain  tone  of  didactic  responsi 
bility,  common,  indeed,  to  all  English  writers  on  America,  as 
if  that  vast  and  populous  country  included  no  citizen  or 
native  capable  of  teaching  her  the  proprieties  of  life  and  the 
principles  of  taste.  We  are  constantly  reminded  of  the  re 
iterating  insect  who  "  says  an  undisputed  thing  in  such  a 
solemn  way."  Inasmuch  as  Mrs.  Trollope,  who  came  here 
thirty  years  ago  to  open  a  bazaar  in  a  newly  settled  city  of 
the  West — which  speculation  failed — "  with  a  woman's  keen 
eye,"  saw,  felt,  and  put  "  in  a  note  book  "  the  grievous  sole 
cisms  in  manners  arid  deformities  of  social  life  which  struck 
her  in  the  fresh  but  crude  American  communities,  her  honest 
and  industrious  son  now  feels  it  incumbent  upon  him  to  com 
plete  the  work,  as  "  she  did  not  regard  it  as  part  of  hers  to 
dilate  on  the  nature  and  operation  of  those  political  arrange  • 
ments  which  had  produced  the  social  absurdities  which  she 
saw ;  or  to  explain  that,  though  such  absurdities  were  the 
natural  result  of  those  arrangements  in  their  newness,  the 
defects  would  certainly  pass  away,  while  the  political  arrange 
ments,  if  good,  would  remain."  This,  he  thinks,  is  better 
work  for  a  man  than  a  woman,  and  therefore  undertakes  to 
do  it — not  apparently  dreaming  that  it  has  been  and  is  con 
tinually  being  done  by  those  whose  lifelong  acquaintance 


234  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

with  the  problem,  to  say  nothing  of  their  personal  interest  in 
its  solution,  enables  them  fully  to  comprehend  and  clearly  to 
analyze.  This  instinctive  self-esteem  is  apparently  the  normal 
mood  with  which  even  the  kindliest  and  the  most  sensible 
English  travellers  comment  on  America.  They  do  not  conde 
scend  to  examine  the  writings  of  Americans  on  their  own 
country,  and  ignore  the  fact  that  the  lectures,  essays,  ser 
mons,  and  humorous  sketches  of  our  own  authors,  have,  for 
years,  advocated  reforms,  exposed  defects,  and  suggested 
ameliorations  which  these  self-constituted  foreign  censors  pro 
claim  as  original.  Mr.  Trollope  seems  extremely  afraid  of 
giving  offence,  continually  deprecates  the  idea,  and  wishes  it 
understood  that  it  is  very  painful  to  him  to  find  fault  with 
anybody  or  anything  in  the  United  States,  but  he  must  cen 
sure  as  well  as  blame,  and  he  means  no  unkindness.  All  this, 
however  amiable,  is  really  preposterous.  It  presupposes  a 
degree  of  importance  as  belonging  to  his  opinions,  or  rather 
a  necessity  for  their  expression,  which  seems  to  us  quite  irra 
tional  in  a  man  of  such  common  sense,  and  who  has  seen  so 
much  of  the  world.  It  is  amusing,  and,  as  a  friend  re 
marked,  "  comes  from  his  blood,  not  his  brain."  It  is  the 
old  leaven  of  self-love,  self-importance,  self-assertion  of  the 
Englishman  as  such.  If  he  had  passed  years  instead  of 
months  in  America,  and  grown  familiar  with  other  circles 
besides  the  circle  of  litterateurs  who  so  won  his  admiration 
in  Boston,  he  would  have  found  all  he  has  written  of  the 
spoiled  children,  the  hard  women,  the  despotic  landlords,  dis 
gusting  railway  cars,  Western  swindlers,  bad  architecture, 
official  peculations,  mud,  dust,  and  desolation  of  Washington, 
misery  of  Cairo,  and  base,  gold-seeking  politicians  of  Amer 
ica,  overheated  rooms,  incongruous  cuisine,  and  undisciplined 
juveniles,  thoroughly  appreciated,  perfectly  understood,  and 
habitually  the  subject  of  native  protest  and  foreign  report. 
On  many  of  these  points  his  views  are  quite  unemphatic, 
compared  to  those  of  educated  Americans ;  so  that  his  dis 
cussion  of  civility  vs.  servility,  of  modern  chivalry,  of  the 
reckless  element  of  frontier  life,  of  the  unscrupulous  "  smart- 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  235 

ness"  and  the  want  of  reverence  in  the  American  charac 
ter,  and  the  want  of  privacy  and  comfort  in  our  gregarious 
hotels,  seem  to  us  quite  as  superfluous  a  task  as  to  inveigh 
in  England  against  fees,  taxes,  fog,  game  laws,  low  wages, 
pauperism,  ecclesiastical  abuses,  aristocratic  monopolies,  or 
any  other  patent  and  familiar  evil. 

That  "  necessity  of  eulogium  "  which  pressed  upon  Mr. 
Trollope,  as  it  has  upon  so  many  of  his  countrymen  in  Amer 
ica,  is  regarded  as  the  evidence  of  extreme  national  sensitive 
ness  ;  but  he  himself  unwittingly  betrays  somewhat  of  the 
same  weakness — if  it  be  such — by  the  deep  impression  made 
by  an  individual's  remark  to  his  wife,  which  remark,  if  made 
seriously  to  an  Englishwoman,  must  have  come  from  a  per 
son  not  overburdened  with  sense ;  and  if  from  a  man  of 
intelligence,  doubtless  was  intended  as  humorous.  In  either 
case,  it  would  seem  unworthy  of  notice ;  but  Mr.  Trollope 
refers  to  it  again  and  again,  as  if  characteristic :  "  I  never 
yet  met  the  down-trodden  subject  of  a  despot  who  did  not 
hug  his  chains."  Those  English  flags  among  the  trophies  at 
West  Point,  too,  much  as  he  delighted  in  the  picturesque 
beauty  of  the  place,  sorely  haunted  his  mind.  The  fact  is, 
that  this  personal  sensibility  to  national  claims  and  associa 
tions  is  the  instinct  of  humanity.  Its  expression  here  is  more 
prevalent  and  its  exactions  more  imperative,  from  the. fact 
that,  of  all  civilized  countries,  our  own  has  been  and  is  the 
chosen  theme  of  criticism,  for  the  reason  that  it  is  more 
experimental.  In  his  somewhat  disparaging  estimate  of 
Newport,  R.  L,  Mr.  Trollope  strangely  omits  the  chief  attrac 
tion,  and  that  is  the  peculiar  climate,  wherein  it  so  much 
differs  from  the  rest  of  the  New  England  coast.  He  ignores 
this  essential  consideration,  also,  in  his  remarks  upon  the  dis 
tinctive  physiognomy  of  Americans.  Yet  such  is  its  influ 
ence,  combined  with  the  active  and  exciting  life  of  the 
country,  that  the  "  rosy  cheeks,"  full  habit,  and  pedestrian 
habitudes  of  Englishmen,  often,  after  a  few  years'  residence, 
give  place  to  thin  jaws  and  frames,  and  comparative  indiffer 
ence  to  exercise :  the  nervous  temperament  encroaches  upon 


236  AMEKICA  AND   HEK  COMMENT  ATOBS. 

the  sanguine ;  beef  and  beer,  port  and  porter,  are  found  too 
nutritive  a  diet ;  and  a  certain  quickness  of  mind  and  move 
ment,  and  sensibility  to  physical  influences,  transform  John 
Bull  even  to  his  own  consciousness.  What  Mr.  Trollope  says 
of  the  American  press,  whether  just  or  not,  comes  with  an 
ill  grace  from  an  Englishman,  at  a  period  wherein  have  been 
so  absolutely  demonstrated  to  the  world  the  wilful  perversity 
and  predetermined  falsehood  of  the  leading  press  of  Great 
Britain.  As  in  the  case  of  so  many  of  his  countrymen,  the 
scenery  of  America  proved  to  Mr.  Trollope  a  compensation 
for  her  discomforts.  Niagara,  the  White  Mountains,  the 
Alleghanies,  and  the  Upper  Mississippi,  are  described  with 
more  enthusiasm  than  anything  else  but  Boston  hospitality. 
Of  course,  for  this  feast  of  beauty,  so  amply  illustrated  by 
our  writers,  he  suggests  that  only  Murray  can  furnish  the 
Guide  Book. 

It  is  curious  that  a  man  with  such  an  eye  for  nature,  and 
such  an  inquiring  mind,  should  find  the  St.  Lawrence  so 
little  attractive,  fail  to  see  President  Lincoln,  and  feel  no  emo 
tion  at  the  scene  of  Wolfe's  heroic  death.  Few  visitors  to 
"  the  States  "  have  more  intelligently  appreciated  the  manli 
ness  of  the  frontier  settlers,  the  sad  patience  there  born  of 
independent  and  lone  struggling  with  nature,  the  immense 
cereal  resources  of  the  West,  and  the  process  of  trans 
portation  thereof  at  Chicago  and  Buffalo.  He  follows  his 
predecessors  in  attributing  the  chief  glory  of  America  to  her 
provision  for  universal  education,  her  mechanical  contri 
vances,  and  the  great  average  comfort  and  intelligence. 

"  The  one  thing,"  he  remarks,  "  in  which,  as  far  as  my  judgment 
goes,  the  people  of  the  United  States  have  excelled  us  Englishmen, 
so  as  to  justify  them  in  taking  to  themselves  praise  which  we  cannot 
take  to  ourselves  or  refuse  to  them,  is  the  matter  of  education ; 
*  *  *  and  unrivalled  population,  wealth,  and  intelligence  have 
been  the  results  ;  and  with  these,  looking  at  the  whole  masses  of  the 
people,  I  think  I  am  justified  in  saying,  unrivalled  comfort  and  hap 
piness.  It  is  not  that  you,  my  reader,  to  whom,  in  this  matter  of 
education,  fortune  and  your  parents  have  probably  been  bountiful, 
would  have  been  more  happy  in  New  York  than  in  London.  It  is 


BEITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS. 


237 


not  that  I,  who,  at  any  rate,  can  read  and  write,  have  cause  to  wish 
that  I  had  been  an  American.  But  it  is  this :  if  you  and  I  can 
count  up  in  a  day  all  those  on  whom  our  eyes  may  rest,  and  learn 
the  circumstances  of  their  lives,  we  shall  be  driven  to  conclude  that 
nine  tenths  of  that  number  would  have  had  a  better  life  as  Ameri 
cans  than  they  can  have  in  their  spheres  as  Englishmen. 

"  If  a  man  can  forget  his  own  miseries  in  his  journeyings,  and 
think  of  the  people  he  comes  to  see  rather  than  of  himself,  I  think 
he  will  find  himself  driven  to  admit  that  education  has  made  life  for 
the  million  in  the  Northern  States  better  than  life  for  the  million  is 
with  us. 

"  I  do  not  know  any  contrast  that  would  be  more  surprising  to 
an  Englishman,  up  to  that  moment  ignorant  of  the  matter,  than  that 
which  he  would  find  by  visiting  first  of  all  a  free  school  in  London,' 
and  then  a  free  school  in  New  York.  *  *  *  The  female  pupil  at 
a  free  school  in  London  is,  as  a  rule,  either  a  ragged  pauper  or  a 
charity  girl,  if  not  degraded,  at  least  stigmatized  by  the  badges  and 
dress  of  the  charity.  "We  Englishmen  know  well  the  type  of  each, 
and  have  a  fairly  correct  idea  of  the  amount  of  education  which  is 
imparted  to  them.  We  see  the  result  afterward,  when  the  same  girls 
become  our  servants,  and  the  wives  of  our  grooms  and  porters.  The 
female  pupil  at  a  free  school  in  New  York  is  neither  a  pauper  nor  a 
charity  girl.  She  is  dressed  with  the  utmost  decency.  She  is  per 
fectly  cleanly.  In  speaking  to  her,  you  cannot  in  any  degree  guess 
whether  her  father  has  a  dollar  a  day,  or  three  thousand  dollars  a 
year.  Nor  will  you  be  enabled  to  guess  by  the  manner  in  which  her 
associates  treat  her.  As  regards  her  own  manner  to  you,  it  is  always 
the  same  as  though  her  father  were  in  all  respects  your  equal. 

"  That  which  most  surprises  an  English  visitor,  on  going  through 
the  mills  at  Lowell,  is  the  personal  appearance  of  the  men  and 
women  who  work  at  them.  As  there  are  twice  as  many  women  as 
there  are  men,  it  is  to  them  that  the  attention  is  chiefly  called. 
They  are  not  only  better  dressed,  cleaner  and  better  mounted  in 
every  respect  than  the  girls  employed  at  manufactories  in  England, 
but  they  are  so  infinitely  superior  as  to  make  a  stranger  immediately 
perceive  that  some  very  strong  cause  must  have  created  the  differ 
ence.  *  *  *  One  would,  of  course,  be  disposed  to  say  that  the 
superior  condition  of  the  workers  must  have  been  occasioned  by 
superior  wages ;  and  this,  to  a  certain  extent,  has  been  the  cause. 
But  the  higher  payments  is  not  the  chief  cause.  Women's  wages, 
including  all  that  they  receive  at  the  Lowell  factories,  average  about 
fourteen  shillings  a  week ;  which  is,  I  take  it,  fully  a  third  more 
than  women  can  earn  in  Manchester,  or  did  earn  before  the  loss  of 


238  AMEEICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

the  American  cotton  began  to  tell  upon  them.  But  if  wages  at  Man 
chester  were  raised  to  the  Lowell  standard,  the  Manchester  woman 
would  not  be  clothed,  fed,  cared  for,  and  educated  like  the  Lowell 
woman." 

Charles  Lamb  aptly  says,  that  the  finer  in  kind  things  are, 
the  more  scope  there  is  for  individual  taste  ;'and  therefore  he 
was  "  always  rather  squeamish  in  his  women  and  children." 
Mr.  Trollope,  judging  of  the  latter  by  the  en f ants  terribles 
encountered  at  inns  and  on  steamboats  in  America,  describes 
the  nuisance  of  over-indulged  and  peremptory  "  Young 
America "  with  emphasis  ;  and  also  draws  the  line,  so  re 
markably  obvious  in  this  country,  between  female  refinement 
and  vulgarity.  He  is  doubtless  right  in  ascribing  the  Ama 
zonian  manners  and  expression  of  the  latter  class  to  that  uni 
versal  consideration  for  the  sex  so  peculiar  to  our  people.  It 
certainly  is  abused,  and  offensively  so  by  the  selfish  and  arro 
gant.  The  conduct  of  Southern  women,  during  the  present 
war,  to  Northern  officers,  is  the  best  proof  of  their  con 
sciousness  of  safety  by  virtue  of  this  public  sentiment  of 
deference  and  protection.  But  has  it  ever  occurred  to  Mr. 
Trollope  that  this  sentiment,  however  abused  by  those  lack 
ing  the  chivalry  to  respond  to  it,  is  almost  a  social  necessity 
in  a  land  where  people  are  thrown  together  so  promiscuously, 
and  where  no  ranks  exist  to  regulate  intercourse  and  define 
position  ?  Crinoline  and  bad  manners  have,  indeed,  done 
much  to  encroach  upon  romance,  and  render  modern  gallantry 
thoroughly  conventional ;  but  the  extravagant  estimation  in 
which  the  rights  and  privileges  of  woman  are  here  held,  is 
one  of  the  most  useful  of  our  social  safeguards  and  sanc 
tions.  Mr.  Trollope  pays  the  usual  tribute  of  strangers  to 
the  beauty,  intelligence,  and  grace  of  American  women  who 
are  ladies  by  nature  and  not  by  courtesy ;  but  he  draws  the 
reverse  picture,  not  unfaithfully,  in  this  mention  of  a  species 
of  the  female  sex  sometimes  encountered  in  a  public  convey 
ance  : 

"  The  woman,  as  she  enters,  drags  after  her  a  misshapen,  dirty 
mass  of  battered  wirework,  which  she  calls  her  crinoline,  and  which 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  239 

adds  as  much  to  her  grace  and  comfort  as  a  log  of  wood  does  to  a 
donkey,  when  tied  to  the  animal's  leg  in  a  paddock.  Of  this  she 
takes  much  heed,  not  managing  it  so  that  it  may  be  conveyed  up  the 
carriage  with  some  decency,  but  striking  it  about  against  men's  legs, 
and  heaving  it  with  violence  over  people's  knees.  The  touch  of  a 
real  woman's  dress  is  in  itself  delicate ;  but  these  blows  from  a 
harpy's  fins  are  loathsome.  If  there  be  two  of  them,  they  talk 
loudly  together,  having  a  theory  that  modesty  has  been  put  out  of 
court  by  women's  rights. 

"  But,  though  not  modest,  the  woman  I  describe  is  ferocious  in 
her  propriety.  She  ignores  the  whole  world  around  her,  as  she  sits 
with  raised  chin,  and  face  flattened  by  affectation.  She  pretends  to 
declare  aloud  that  she  is  positively  not  aware  that  any  man  is  even 
near  her.  *  *  *  But  every  twist  of  her  body,  and  every  tone  of 
her  voice,  is  an  unsuccessful  falsehood.  She  looks  square  at  you  in 
the  face,  and  you  rise  to  give  her  your  seat.  You  rise  from  a  defer 
ence  to  your  own  old  convictions,  and  from  that  courtesy  which  you 
have  ever  paid  to  a  woman's  dress,  let  it  be  worn  with  ever  such 
hideous  deformities.  She  takes  the  place  from  which  you  have 
moved  without  a  word  or  a  bow.  She  twists  herself  round,  banging 
your  shins  with  her  wires  ;  while  her  chin  is  still  raised,  and  her  face 
is  still  flattened,  and  she  directs  her  friend's  attention  to  another 
seated  man,  as  though  that  place  were  also  vacant,  and  necessarily  at 
her  disposal.  Perhaps  the  man  opposite  has  his  own  ideas  about 
chivalry.  I  have  seen  such  a  thing,  and  have  rejoiced  to  see  it." 

And  of  the  spoiled  children  he  thus  discourses  : 

"And  then  the  children — babies  I  should  say.  if  I  were  speaking 
of  English  bairns  of  their  age  ;  but,  seeing  that  they  are  Americans, 
I  hardly  dare  to  call  them  children.  The  actual  age  of  these  per 
fectly  civilized  and  highly  educated  beings  may  be  from  three  to 
four.  One  will  often  see  five  or  six  such  seated  at  the  long  dinner 
table  of  the  hotel,  breakfasting  and  dining  with  their  elders,  and 
going  through  the  ceremony  with  all  the  gravity  and  more  than  all 
the  decorum  of  their  grandfathers.  "When  I  was  three  years  old,  I 
had  not  yet,  as  I  imagine,  been  promoted  beyond  a  silver  spoon  of 
my  own,  wherewith  to  eat  my  bread  and  milk  in  the  nursery;  and  I 
feel  assured  that  I  was  under  the  immediate  care  of  a  nursemaid,  as 
I  gobbled  up  my  minced  mutton  mixed  with  potatoes  and  gravy- 

"  But  at  hotel  life  in  the  States,  the  adult  infant  lisps  to  the  waiter 
for  everything  at  table,  handles  his  fish  with  epicurean  delicacy,  is 
choice  in  his  selection  of  pickles,  very  particular  that  his  beefsteak 
at  breakfast  shall  be  hot,  and  is  instant  in  his  demand  for  fresh  ice 


24:0  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

in  his  water.  But  perhaps  his — or  in  this  case  her — retreat  from  the 
room  when  the  meal  is  over,  is  the  chef  d'ceuwe  of  the  whole  per 
formance.  The  little  precocious,  full-blown  beauty  of  four  signifies 
that  she  has  completed  her  meal — or  is  'through'  her  dinner,  as  she 
would  express  it — by  carefully  extricating  herself  from  the  napkin 
which  has  been  tucked  around  her.  Then  the  waiter,  ever  attentive 
to  her  movements,  draws  back  the  chair  on  which  she  is  seated,  and 
the  young  lady  glides  to  the  floor.  A  little  girl  in  old  England  would 
scramble  down;  but  little  girls  in  New  England  never  scramble. 
Her  father  and  mother,  who  are  no  more  than  her  chief  ministers, 
walk  before  her  out  of  the  saloon,  and  then — she  swims  after 
them." 

The  frequent  change  of  occupation,  and  the  hardihood 
with  which  misfortunes — especially  pecuniary  reverses — are 
met,  impress  him.  "  Everybody,"  he  writes,  "  understands 
everything,  and  everybody  intends,  sooner  or  later,  to  do 
everything ; "  and,  "  whatever  turns  up,  the  man  is  still 
there,  still  unsophisticated,  still  unbroken."  He  thinks 
American  coachmen  the  most  adroit  in  the  world ;  the 
houses  more  convenient  than  those  of  England  of  the  same 
class ;  the  green  knolls  and  open  glades  of  Kentucky  more 
like  what  his  countrymen  love  in  a  manorial  estate,  than  any 
land  or  forest  elsewhere  in  the  country ;  and,  of  cities,  gives 
the  preference  to  Boston  and  Baltimore — the  former  on  ac 
count  of  its  culture,  and  the  latter  because  of  its  "  hunting- 
ground  "  vicinity,  pleasant  women,  and  "  English  look."  It 
is  amusing  to  find  him  gravely  asserting,  that  "  the  mind  of 
an  Englishman  has  more  imagination  than  that  of  an  Ameri 
can,"  and  that  "  squash  is  the  pulp  of  the  pumpkin."  He 
thinks  we  suffer  for  "  a  national  religion,"  and  have  found 
out  that  "  the  plan  of  governing  by  little  men  has  certainly 
not  answered ; "  and  justly  regards  it  as  our  special  blessing 
to  "  have  been  able  to  begin  at  the  beginning,"  and  so,  in 
many  things,  improve  upon  the  Old  World.  Of  Congress 
and  Cambridge,  Mr.  Trollope  gives  details  of  parliamentary 
customs  and  educational  habits,  indicating  wherein  they  differ 
from  those  of  England.  He  repeats  the  old  arguments  for  an 
international  copyright.  He  discusses  Canada  in  her  present 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS    AND   WRITERS.  241 

and  prospective  political  relations  with  singular  candor,  and 
frankly  admits  the  inferiority  of  her  material  development  to 
that  of  the  United  States.  "  Everybody  travels  in  America," 
he  observes,  "  and  nothing  is  thought  of  distance."  In  this 
fact  he  could  easily  have  found  the  explanation  of  the  dis 
comforts  of  American  travel,  inasmuch  as  railroads  that  are 
built  to  lure  emigrants  to  build  towns  in  the  wilderness,  and 
cars  that  are  intended  to  convey  crowds  of  all  classes,  in  the 
nature  of  the  case  do  not  admit  of  those  refined  arrange 
ments  which  make  foreign  railways  so  agreeable,  and  the 
absence  of  which  renders  most  American  journeys  a  penance. 
Among  the  things  which  Mr.  Trollope,  however,  finds  superior, 
are  canvas-back  ducks,  rural  cemeteries,  schools,  asylums,  city 
libraries,  waterfalls,  maize  fields,  authors,  and  women.  But 
the  special  interest  of  his  book  is  its  discussion  of  the  civil 
war.  His  own  political  views  seem  to  us  somewhat  inconsist 
ent.  Repudiating  the  military  despotism  existing  in  France 
as  a  wrong  to  manhood  and  humanity,  he  yet  thinks  "  those 
Chinese  rascals  should  be  forced  into  the  harness  of  civiliza 
tion."  In  allusion  to  our  errors  of  government,  he  justly 
remarks,  that  "  the  material  growth  of  the  States  has  been 
so  quick,  that  the  political  has  not  been  able  to  keep  up  with 
it."  In  some  respects  he  does  justice  to  the  war  for  the 
Union,  asserting  its  necessity,  and  recognizing  the  disinter 
ested  patriotism  of  the  North,  and  the  wholly  inadequate 
reasons  put  forth  by  the  South  for  treachery  and  revolt.  Yet 
he  fails  to  grasp  the  whole  subject — treating  the  exigency  as 
political  exclusively,  and  the  Rebellion  as  analogous  to  that 
of  Naples,  Poland,  and  our  own  Revolution.  This  is,  to  say 
the  least,  a  most  inadequate  and  perverse  view.  Not  only 
had  the  South  no  wrongs  to  redress  for  which  the  United 
States  Government  were  responsible,  but  they  violated  State 
not  less  than  National  rights,  in  their  seizure  of  property,  per 
secution  and  murder  of  loyal  citizens,  and  enforced  votes  and 
enlistments  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  Citizens  in  their 
midst  claimed  and  deserved  Federal  protection  not  less  than 
those  on  this  side  of  their  lines.  Moreover,  the  "  landless 
11 


242  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

resolutes  "  of  the  South  proved,  in  warfare,  barbarians  in 
sacrilegious  hate  ;  so  that,  under  any  circumstances,  it  would 
have  become  a  necessity  for  the  North  to  fortify  and  defend 
her  frontier.  These  circumstances  make  an  essential  differ 
ence  between  this  Rebellion  and  other  civil  wars :  they 
aggravate  its  turpitude,  and  vindicate  the  severest  measures 
to  repress  it,  irrespective  of  any  question  of  political  union. 
In  like  manner  Mr.  Trollope  gives  but  a  partial  view  of  the 
feeling  of  America  toward  England.  It  was  not  sympathy  in 
a  mere  political  quarrel,  between  two  equally  justified  parties, 
that  she  expected,  and  was  grieved  and  incensed  at  not  re 
ceiving.  Such  a  feeling  might  be  unmanly,  as  Mr.  Trollope 
thinks,  and  also  unreasonable ;  but  when,  for  years,  English 
statesmen,  travellers,  and  journalists  had  taunted  us  with  the 
slavery  entailed  upon  the  Southern  States  in  colonial  days, 
and  by  British  authority ;  and  when,  at  last,  we  had  made 
the  first  grand  step  toward  limiting,  if  not  undermining  the 
evil,  and,  by  doing  so,  had  incurred  the  hatred,  treachery, 
and  violence  of  the  slaveholders,  we  had  every  reason  to 
expect  that  a  Christian  nation,  akin  in  blood  and  language, 
would  throw  the  weight  of  her  influence,  social  and  political, 
into  the  scale  of  justice,  instead  of  hastening  to  recognize  the 
insurgents  as  standing  before  the  world  on  an  equal  moral 
and  civic  footing  with  a  Government  and  a  people  they  had 
cheated,  defied,  and  were  seeking  to  destroy  for  no  reason 
save  the  constitutional  election  of  a  President  opposed  to  the 
extension  of  slavery.  It  was  this  that  created  the  disappoint 
ment  and  inspired  the  bitterness  which  M?.  Trollope  declares 
so  unjust  and  unreasonable.  He  compares  the  struggle  to  a 
quarrel  between  a  man  and  his  wife,  and  with  two  parties 
throwing  brickbats  at  each  other  across  the  street,  to  the 
great  discomfort  of  neutral  passengers.  Mr.  Gladstone  re 
cently  compared  it  to  a  difficulty  between  two  partners  in 
business,  the  one  wishing  to  retire  from  the  firm,  and  the 
other  attempting  to  force  him  to  remain.  Lord  Brougham 
also  spoke  of  a  late  treaty  between  England  and  the  United 
States  of  America  to  suppress  the  slave  trade,  as  "  the  treaty 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS    AND   WRITERS.  243 

of  the  Northern  Government."  It  requires  no  special  candor 
and  right  feeling  to  perceive  the  animus  of  such  expressions. 
They  ignore  the  true  state  of  the  case ;  they  betray  a  want 
of  respect  for  historical  accuracy,  and  an  indifference,  not  to 
say  contempt,  for  the  Government  and  people  of  America, 
only  to  be  explained  by  a  brutal  want  of  Christian  sympathy, 
or  mean  desire  to  see  a  great  and  patriotic  nation  decimated 
and  humbled.  How  sadly  do  such  observations  contrast  with 
the  just  and  kindly  statements  of  De  Gasparin,  of  John 
Bright,  and  of  John  Stuart  Mill !  All  the  solicitude  which 
agitated  England  and  America  in  regard  to  the  capture  of 
the  rebel  envoys,  about  which  Mr.  Trollope  has  so  much  to 
say,  would  have  been  avoided  had  Great  Britain  acted, 
thought,  spoken,  and  felt  in  this  matter  with  any  magnanim 
ity.  To  her  the  safe  transit  of  those  Secession  commissioners 
was  of  no  importance ;  to  us  it  was,  at  the  time,  a  serious 
misfortune.  Their  relinquishment,  without  war  threats  and 
war  preparations,  would  have  cost  a  friendly  and  noble  nation 
no  loss  of  dignity,  no  harm  to  private  or  public  interests. 
The  proceeding  was  assumed  to  be  a  premeditated  insult, 
whereas  it  was  purely  an  accident.  An  insult  implies  inten 
tion.  In  this  case,  the  object  of  Captain  Wilkes  was  mani 
festly  to  perform  a  duty  to  his  own,  not  to  injure  or  treat 
with  disrespect  another  country.  His  act  was  illegal,  but  the 
exigency  was  peculiar.  A  generous  man  or  woman  person 
ally  incommoded  by  the  representative  of  a  just  cause,  and 
in  the  hour  of  misfortune,  where  there  was  no  malice,  no 
impertinence,  but  an  important  end  to  be  achieved  at  the  ex 
pense  of  a  temporary  discourtesy— not  real,  but  apparent — 
would  cheerfully  waive  conventional  rights,  and,  from  nobil 
ity  of  feeling,  subdue  or  postpone  resentment.  In  social  life, 
examples  of  such  forbearance  and  humane  consideration  often 
happen ;  and  though  it  may  be  Utopian  to  apply  the  same 
ethical  code  to  nations  and  individuals — in  the  view  of  a 
Christian  or  even  a  chivalric  man,  such  an  application  of  the 
high  and  holy  instincts  of  our  nature  is  far  from  irrational. 
In  that  sacred  chart  whereon  rest  the  hopes  and  the  faith,  the 


244:  AMERICA   AND   HEE  COMMENTATORS. 

precedents  and  the  principles  of  Christianity — "  the  spirit  we 
are  of"  is  constantly  referred  to  as  the  test  of  character  and 
the  evidence  of  feeling.  Throughout  our  national  sorrows, 
from  the  inception  of  this  wicked  Rebellion,  through  all  its 
course,  the  spirit  of  the  press  and  Parliament,  the  spirit  of 
England,  as  far  as  it  has  found  official  expression,  with  a  few 
memorable  exceptions,  have  been  unjust,  disingenuous,  and 
inimical ;  and  when  the  history  of  this  national  crisis  is 
written,  the  evidence  of  this  will  be  as  glaring  as  it  is 
shameful. 

Mr.  Trollope  has  lost  an  opportunity  to  realize  •"  the  am 
bition  of  his  literary  life."  His  visit  was  too  brief  and  un 
seasonable  for  him  to  do  anything  like  justice  to  himself  or 
his  subject.  He  visited  the  West  in  winter — a  comfortless 
period,  when  nature  is  denuded  of  the  freshness  and  beauty 
which  at  more  genial  seasons  cheer  the  natural  "  melan 
choly  "  he  felt  there.  He  saw  the  army  of  the  Union  in  its 
transition  state,  and  beheld  the  country  and  the  people  when 
under  the  shadow  of  war,  and  that  war  undertaken  against 
a  senseless  and  savage  mutiny.  He  rapidly  scanned  places, 
with  no  time  to  ripen  superficial  acquaintance  into  intimacy  ; 
and  he  wrote  his  impressions  of  the  passing  scene  in  the 
midst  of  hurry,  discomfort,  and  the  turbulence  and  gloom  of 
a  painfully  exciting  and  absorbing  era.  Moreover,  his  forte 
is  not  political  disquisition.  Still,  the  interests  involved,  the 
moral  spectacle  apparent,  the  historical  and  social  elements  at 
work,  were  such  as  to  inspire  a  humanitarian  and  enlighten  .a 
philosopher ;  and  if  unambitious  of  either  character,  there 
remained  a  great  duty  and  noble  mission  for  an  English  au 
thor — to  correct  specifically,  to  deny  emphatically,  the  cur 
rent  misrepresentations  of  British  statesmen  and  journals, 
and  to  vindicate  a  kindred  and  maligned  people.  He  has 
told  many  wholesome  truths ;  he  has  borne  witness  to  many 
essential  facts  about  which  the  British  public  have  hitherto, 
in  spite  of  all  evidence,  professed  utter  incredulity.  But  he 
might  have  gone  farther  and  done  more,  and  so  made  his 
work  signally  useful  now,  and  far  more  memorable  hereafter. 


BEITISH   TRAVELLERS    AND   WRITERS.  245 

The  Scotch  are  far  more  discriminating  and  sympathetic 
than  the  English  in  their  comments  and  comparisons  in  re 
gard  to  America.  The  affinity  between  the  North  Britons 
and  the  New  Englanders  has  often  been  noted.  In  habits  of 
industry,  native  shrewdness,  religious  enthusiasm,  frugal  in 
stincts,  love  of  knowledge,  and  many  other  traits,  a  parallel 
may  be  easily  traced.  We  have  seen  how  genial  was  the 
appreciation  of  Mrs.  Grant  in  her  girlhood,  of  the  independ 
ence,  harmony,  and  social  charms  of  colonial  life  in  Albany. 
Alexander  Wilson  both  loved  and  honored  the  home  he  found 
on  our  soil ;  and  among  the  Travels  in  America  of  recent 
date,  which,  in  their  liberal  spirit  and  their  sagacity,  form 
honorable  exceptions  to  British  misrepresentation,  are  two 
works  written  by  Scotchmen,  which  our  publishers,  so  ready 
to  reproduce  books  that  have  the  piquancy  of  abuse  or  the 
flash  of  extravagance,  with  singular  want  of  judgment  have 
ignored.  The  first  of  these  is  an  unpretending  little  bro 
chure,  entitled  "  A  Tour  in  the  United  States,"  by  Archibald 
Prentice.*  This  writer  has  been  a  public-spirited  citizen  and 
an  editor  in  Manchester,  and  was  thus  practically  fitted  intel 
ligently  to  examine  the  economical  features  of  the  country. 
Of  Covenanter  stock,  his  sympathies  were  drawn  to  the  Con 
necticut  clergy ;  and  the  graves  of  kindred  endeared  the  land 
which  he  visited  in  order  to  examine  its  physical  resources 
with  special  reference  to  emigration,  manufactures,  trade,  and 
labor.  He  is  enthusiastic  on  entering,  on  a  beautiful  day,  the 
harbor  of  New  York,  and,  with  all  the  zest  of  a  practical 
economist,  dwells  upon  the  activity  and  scope  of  that  com 
mercial  metropolis.  "  Here,"  he  writes,  "  bright  visions  arise 
in  the  imagination  of  the  utilitarian.  He  sees  the  farmer  on 
the  Hudson,  the  Mohawk,  the  Ohio,  the  Illinois,  the  Miami, 
and  the  lakes  Michigan,  Erie,  and  Ontario,  cheerfully  labor 
ing  in  his  own  fields  for  the  sustenance  of  the  Manchester 
spinner  and  weaver ;  he  sees  the  potter  of  Horsley,  the  cut 
ler  of  Sheffield,  the  cloth  manufacturer  of  Yorkshire,  and  the 
sewer  and  tambourer  of  Glasgow,  in  not  hopeless  or  unre- 
*  London:  Charles  Gilpin,  1848. 


246  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

warded  toil,  preparing  additional  comforts  and  enjoyments 
for  the  inhabitants  of  the  American  woods  and  prairies.  He 
conjures  up  a  great  cooperative  community,  all  working  for 
mutual  benefit ;  and  sees,  in  the  universal  competition,  the 
universal  good."  He  finds  the  usual  defects,  as  he  extends 
his  observations — the  cheap  railroads,  the  fragile  women,  the 
over-eagerness  for  foreign  appreciation,  the  inadequate  agri 
cultural  science,  and,  above  all,  the  monstrous  evil — political, 
economical,  social,  moral,  and  religious — of  slavery.  But 
while  all  these  and  other  drawbacks  are  emphasized,  the 
causes  and  conditions  are  frankly  stated.  This  writer  ap 
preciates  the  favorable  relations  of  labor  to  capital,  and, 
although  an  anti-protectionist,  recognizes  cordially  the  advan 
tages  here  realized  by  honest  industry  and  intelligent  enter 
prise  in  manufactures  and  trade.  "  Even  the  Irishman,"  he 
writes,  "  becomes  commercial."  "  The  Illinois  coalfields," 
he  notes,  "  are  reached  by  drifts  instead  of  shafts — horizon 
tally,  not  perpendicularly."  He  lauds  our  comparatively 
inexpensive  Government,  the  "  moral  machinery "  of  our 
manufacturing  towns,  the  harmonious  coexistence  of  so 
many  religious  sects.  He  considers  the  stern  virtues  bred  by 
the  hard  soil  and  climate  of  New  England  a  providential 
school,  wherein  the  character  of  Western  emigration  was 
auspiciously  predetermined.  But  Mr.  Prentice  has  as  keen 
an  eye  for  the  beauties  of  nature  as  for  the  resources  of  in 
dustry.  He  was  constantly  impressed,  not  only  with  the  gen 
eral  but  with  the  specific  resemblance  of  American  scenery 
to  that  of  Great  Britain  ;  and  compares  an  "  opening  "  in  the 
landscape  between  Baltimore  and  Washington  to  "  the  Esk 
below  Langholm ; "  the  view  up  the  Shenandoah  to  the  Clyde 
at  Auld-Brig-End,  near  Lanark ;  the  bluffs  of  the  Ohio  to 
the  "  irregular  face  which  Alderley  Edge  presents  Wilm- 
stone ; "  and  Lake  Champlain  to  Windermere  arid  Ulswater  ; 
while .  he  finds  the  "  footway  to  the  Charter  Oak,  at  Hart 
ford,  worn  like  the  path  to  the  martyr's  grave  in  the  Old 
Friar's  Churchyard  in  Edinburgh.  Although  thus  warmly 
alive  to  native  associations,  he  is  not  less  an  ardent  advocate 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  247 

for  mutual  forbearance  and  wise  fellowship  between  Great 
Britain  and  America.  "  The  citizens  of  the  United  States," 
he  remarks,  "  do  not  dislike  Englishmen  individually.  On 
the  contrary,  they  are  rather  predisposed  to  like  them,  and  to 
pay  them  most  kind  and  respectful  attention  when  they  visit 
America.  Their  dislike  is  to  John  Bull — the  traditional,  big, 
bullying,  borough-mongering  and  monopolizing  John  Bull ; 
the  John  Bull  as  he  was  at  the  time  of  the  American  and  the 
French  Revolutions,  before  Catholic  emancipation,  before 
the  repeal  of  the  Orders  in  Council,  before  the  Reform  Bill." 
And,  in  conclusion,  he  thus  benignly  adjures  the  spirit  of  a 
candid  mutual  appreciation  and  harmony  :  "  Would  that  men 
in  both  countries  would  drop  all  narrow  jealousies,  and,  look 
ing  to  the  great  mission  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  family,  earnestly 
resolve  that  the  sole  struggle  between  those  of  its  branches 
only  geographically  separated,  should  be  which  most  jealously 
and  most  energetically  should  labor  to  Christianize  and  civil 
ize  the  whole  human  race." 

The  other  Scotch  writer  whose  recent  observations  are 
worthy  of  that  consideration  which  an  honest  purpose,  ele 
vated  sympathies,  and  conscientious  intelligence,  should  ever 
secure,  is  James  Stirling,*  a  member  of  Parliament,  whose 
"  Letters  from  the  Slave  States,"  published  seven  years  ago, 
but,  strange  to  say,  not  reprinted  here,  feems  to  have  antici 
pated  many  of  the  subsequent  political  events  and  social 
manifestations.  This  writer  has  evidently  made  a  study  of 
economical  questions.  He  has  that  mental  discipline  which 
experience,  legislative  and  professional,  insures.  Firm  in  his 
opinions,  but  liberal  and  humane  in  spirit,  there  is  a  combina 
tion  of  sagacity  and  generous  feeling  in  his  tone  of  mind 
which  commands  respect.  These  letters  are  candid  and 
thoughtful ;  and,  while  some  of  the  views  advanced  chal 
lenge  argument,  the  general  scope  is  just  and  wise.  Mr. 
Stirling  was  chiefly  struck  with  the  rapidity  of  growth  in  the 
American  settlements,  and  records  many  specific  and  authen- 

*  "  Letters  from  the  Slave  States,"  by  James  Stirling.  London :  J.  W. 
Parker,  1857. 


24:8  AMERICA  AND   HER  COMMENTATORS. 

tic  facts  illustrative  of  this  peculiar  feature  in  Western  civili 
zation,  of  which  he  calls  railways  "the  soul."  The  con 
ditions  of  success  for  new  communities  he  regards  as,  first, 
an  energetic  population  ;  second,  fertile  soil ;  third,  favorable 
climate ;  and,  fourth,  easy  .means  of  communication ;  and  he 
explains  the  prosperity  and  the  failure  of  such  experiments 
by  these  conditions.  He  is  opposed  to  protection  and  to 
universal  suffrage,  and  finds  ample  evidence  to  sustain  these 
opinions  in  his  observations  in  the  United  States.  The  sub 
ject,  however,  which  mainly  occupies  his  attention,  is  the 
actual  influence  and  effects  of  slavery,  the  difficulties  in  the 
way  of  its  abolition,  and  the  probable  consequence  of  its 
existence  upon  the  destiny  and  development  of  the  nation. 
His  economical  argument  is  strong.  He  indicates  the  com 
parative  stagnation  and  degradation  of  the  Slave  States  with 
detail,  describes  the  status  of  the  poor  whites,  notes  the  his 
torical  facts,  and  seems  to  anticipate  the  climax  which  three 
years  later  involved  the  country  in  civil  war.  "  The  South," 
he  writes,  "  seems  to  me  in  that  mood  of  mind  which  fore 
runs  destruction  ; "  and  elsewhere  observes  that  "  the  acci 
dent  of  cotton  has  been  the  ruin  of  the  negro."  Pie  recog 
nizes  a  "  moral  disunion "  in  the  opposition  of  parties  and 
social  instincts  in  regard  to  slavery.  "  Like  most  foreign 
ers,"  he  observes,  "  I  find  it  very  difficult  to  appreciate  the 
construction  of  American  parties.  There  is  a  party  called 
the  Southern  party,  which  is  distinctly  in  favor  of  separation. 
It  will  carry  along  with  it,  notwithstanding  its  most  insane 
policy,  a  great  proportion  of  the  low  white  population. 
Opposed  to  it  is  the  conservative  intelligence  of  the  South." 
Mr.  Stirling  justly  regards  the  "  want  of  concentration  "  as 
the  characteristic  defect  of  American  civilization ;  and  re 
gards  the  "  aristocracy  of  the  South "  as  almost  identical 
with  "  the  parvenu  society  of  the  mushroom  cities "  in 
Britain  ;  and  observes  significantly  that  it  is  "  on  the  impor 
tance  of  cotton  to  England  that  the  philosophers  of  the 
South  delight  to  dwell."  Indeed,  throughout  his  observa 
tions  on  the  Slave  States,  there  is  a  complete  recognition  of 


BRITISH  TRAVELLERS   AND  WRITERS.  249 

the  facts  and  principles  which  the  North  has  vainly  striven 
for  months  past  to  impress  upon  English  statesmen  ;  and  this 
testimony  is  the  more  valuable  inasmuch  as  it  is  disinter 
ested,  and  was  recorded  before  any  overt  act  of  rebellion  had 
complicated  our  foreign  relations.  .  Although  this  writer's 
experience  in  Alabama  is  more  favorable  to  the  social  con 
dition  of  that  State  than  what  fell  under  the  observation  of 
Mr.  Olmsted,  yet  the  latter's  economical  statistics  of  the 
Slave  States  are  amply  confirmed  by  Mr.  Stirling.  He  is 
equally  struck  with  the  contrast  between  the  two  parts  of 
the  country  in  regard  to  providence  and  comfort.  He  agrees 
with  other  travellers  in  his  estimate  of  popular  defects,  and 
is  especially  severe  upon  the  evils  of  hotel  life  in  the  United 
States,  and  the  superficial  and  showy  workmanship  which 
compares  so  unfavorably  with  substantial  English  manufac 
tures.  Many  of  these  criticisms  have  only  a  local  applica 
tion,  yet  they  are  none  the  less  true.  Duelling,  lynching, 
"  hatred  of  authority,"  "  passion  for  territory,"  inadequate 
police,  and  reckless  travelling,  are  traits  which  are  censured 
with  emphasis.  But  the  charm  of  these  letters  consists  in 
the  broad  and  benign  temper  of  the  writer,  when  from  spe 
cific  he  turns  to  general  inferences,  and  treats  of  the  country 
as  a  whole,  and  of  its  relations  to  the  Old  World  and  to 
humanity.  It  is  refreshing  to  find  united  in  a  foreign  critic 
such  a  clear  perception  of  the  drawbacks  to  our  national 
prosperity  and  incongruous  elements  in  our  national  develop 
ment,  with  an  equally  true  insight  and  recognition  of  the 
individual  and  domestic  rectitude,  and  the  noble  and  high 
tendencies  of  life  and  character.  A  few  random  extracts 
will  indicate  these  qualities  of  the  man  and  merits  of  the 
writer : 

"We  have  experienced,  even  from  utter  strangers,  an  officious 
kindness  and  sympathy  that  can  only  arise  from  hearts  nurtured  in 
the  daily  practice  of  domestic  virtues." 

"  I  have  no  fears  but  that  the  follies  and  crudities  of  the  present 
effervescent  state  of  American  society  will  pass  away,  and  leave  be 
hind  a  large  residuum  of  solid  worth." 
11* 


250  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

"  I  cannot  overlook  that  latent  force  of  virtue  and  wisdom,  which 
makes  itself,  as  yet,  too  little  felt  in  public  affairs,  but  which  assuredly 
is  there,  and  will  come  forth,  I  am  convinced,  when  the  hour  of  trial 
comes  to  save  the  country." 

"  The  American  nation  will  wrestle  victoriously  with  the^e  social 
and  political  hydras." 

Mr.  Stirling  gives  a  most  true  analysis  of  an  American 
popular  speaker  in  his  estimate  of  Beecher.  He  discrimi 
nates  well  the  local  traits  of  the  country,  calling  Florida  the 
"Alsatia  of  the  Union,"  because  it  is  such  a  paradise  for 
sportsmen  and  squatters ;  and  explaining  the  superiority  in 
race  of  the  Kentuckians  by;  their  hunting  habits  and  progeni 
tors.  "  The  little  step,"  he  writes,  "  from  the  South  to  the 
North,  is  a  stride  from  barbarism  to  civilization — a  step  from 
the  sixteenth  to  the  nineteenth  century." 

Of  tne  physiognomy  of  the  people  he  says :  "  You  read 
upon  the  nation's  brow  the  extent  of  its  enterprise  and  the 
intensity  of  its  desires.  The  deepest-rooted  cause  of  Ameri 
can  disease  is  the  overworking  of  the  brain  and  the  over- 
excitement  of  the  nervous  system." 

Equally  clear  and  earnest,  humane  and  noble,  is  his  view 
of  the  relation  of  this  country  to  Great  Britain :  "  Never 
were  two  nations,"  he  writes,  "  so  eminently  fitted  to  aid  and 
comfort  each  other  in  the  vast  work  of  civilization,  than  Eng 
land  and  America."  He  reproaches  Great  Britain  with  her 
indifference,  as  manifest  in  sending  second-class  ambassadors 
to  the  United  States ;  and  invokes  "  the  spiritual  ruler,  the 
press,"  to  do  its  part,  "  by  speaking  more  generously  and 
wisely."  If  the  prescience  of  this  writer  is  remarkable  in 
estimating  aright  the  temper  and  tendencies  of  Southern  trea 
son  while  yet  latent,  and  of  Northern  integrity  and  patriot 
ism  before  events  had  elicited  their  active  development,  no 
less  prophetic  is  his  appeal  to  English  magnanimity : 

"  Why,  in  God's  name,  should  we  not  give  them  every  assurance 
of  respect  and  affection?  Are  they  not  our  children,  blood  of  our 
blood  and  bone  of  our  bone  ?  Are  they  not  progressive,  and  fond 
of  power,  like  ourselves  ?  Are  they  not  our  best  customers  ?  Have 


BRITISH   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  251 

they  not  the  same  old  English,  manly  virtues  ?  What  is  more  befit 
ting  for  us  Englishmen,  than  to  watch  with  intense  study  and  deep 
est  sympathy  the  momentous  strivings  of  this  noble  people  ?  It  is 
the  same  fight  we  ourselves  are  fighting — the  true  and  absolute 
supremacy  of  Eight.  Surely  nothing  can  more  beseem  two  great 
and  kindred  nations,  than  to  aid  and  comfort  one  another  in  that 
career  of  self-ennoblement,  which  is  the  end  of  all  national  as  well 
as  individual  existence."* 

*  "  The  stupendous  greatness  of  England  is  factitious,  and  will  only  be 
come  natural  when  that  empire  shall  have  found  its  real  centre  :  that  centre 
is  the  United  States."—"  The  New  Rome  ;  or,  The  United  States  of  the 
World"  (New  York,  1843). 

A  remarkably  bold  and  comprehensive  theory  of  American  progress, 
unity,  and  empire,  by  Theodore  Poosche  and  Charles  Goepp — one  an  Ameri 
canized  German,  the  other  a  Teutonic  philosopher.  In  this  little  treatise  the 
geography,  politics,  races,  and  social  organization  of  the  United  States  are 
analyzed,  and  shown  to  be  "  at  work  upon  the  fusion  of  all  nations — not  of 
this  continent  alone,  but  of  all  continents — into  one  people." 


CHAPTEE    VII. 

ENGLISH  ABUSE    OF   AMERICA. 

IT  has  often  been  remarked,  that  there  is  a  fashion  in 
bookcraft,  as  in  every  other  phase  and  element  of  human 
society;  and  the  caprices  thereof  are  often  as  inexplicable 
and  fantastic  as  in  manners,  costume,  and  other  less  intellect 
ual  phenomena.  The  history  of  modern  literature  indicates 
extreme  fluctuations  of  popular  taste.  Waller  and  Cowley 
introduced  the  concetti  of  the  Italians  into  English  verse, 
which,  in  Elizabeth's  reign,  was  so  preeminent  for  robust  afflu 
ence  ;  in  Pope's  day  we  had  satire  and  sense  predominant ; 
Byron  initiated  the  misanthropic  and  impassioned  style ; 
while  Steele  and  Addison  inaugurated  social  criticism,  the 
lake  poets  a  recurrence  to  the  simplicity  of  nature,  and  the 
Scotch  reviewers  bold  analysis  and  liberal  reform.  But  the 
uniform  tone  of  books  and  criticism  in  England  for  so  many 
years,  in  relation  to  America,  is  one  of  those  literary  phe 
nomena  the  cause  of  which  must  be  sought  elsewhere  than 
among  the  whims  and  oddities  of  popular  taste  or  the  caprice 
of  authors.  A  French  writer,  at  one  period,  declared  it  was 
the  direct  result  of  official  bribery,  to  stop  emigration ;  but 
its  motives  were  various,  and  its  origin  far  from  casual  or 
temporary  ;  and  the  attitude  and  animus  of  England  during 
the  war  for  the  Union,  give  to  these  systematic  attacks  and 
continuous  detraction  a  formidable  significance.  The  Ameri 
can  abroad  may  have  grown  indifferent  to  the  derogatory 


ENGLISH  ABUSE   OF   AMEKICA.  253 

facts  or  fictions  gleaned  for  Galignani's  Messenger,  and 
served  up  with  his  daily  breakfast ;  he  may  treat  the  prejudice 
and  presumption  of  English  censors  with  amusing  non 
chalance,  when  discussing  them  with  an  esteemed  and  kindly 
friend  of  that  race ;  but  the  subject  assumes  a  more  grave 
aspect,  when  he  finds  his  country's  deadly  struggle  for  nation 
ality  against  a  selfish  and  profane  oligarchy,  understood  and 
vindicated  by  the  press  of  Turin  and  St.  Petersburg,  and 
maligned  or  discouraged  by  that  of  London.  Cockneyism 
may  seem  unworthy  of  analysis,  far  less  of  refutation ;  but, 
as  Sydney  Smith  remarked  by  way  of  apology  for  hunting 
small  game  to  the  death  in  his  zeal  for  reform,  "  in  a  country 
surrounded  by  dikes,  a  rat  may  inundate  a  province  ; "  and  it 
is  the  long-continued  gnawing  of  the  tooth  of  detraction 
that,  at  a  momentous  crisis,  let  in  the  cold  flood  at  last  upon 
the  nation's  heart,  and  quenched  its  traditional  love. 

We  have  seen  how  popular  a  subject  of  discussion  were 
American  manners,  institutions,  and  character,  by  British 
writers  ;  and  it  is  amusing,  in  the  retrospect,  to  consider  with 
what  avidity  were  read,  and  with  wThat  self-confidence  were 
written,  these  monotonous  protests  against  the  imperfect 
civilization  prevalent  in  the  United  States.  That  there  was  a 
certain  foundation  for  such  discussion,  and  a  relation  between 
the  institutions  of  the  country  and  the  behavior  of  its  people, 
cannot  be  denied ;  but  both  were  exaggerated,  and  made  to 
pander  infinitely  more  to  prejudice  than  to  truth.  The  same 
investigation  applied  to  other  lands  in  the  same  spirit,  would 
have  furnished  quite  as  salient  material ;  and  the  antecedents 
as  well  as  the  animus  of  most  of  these  self-appointed  cen 
sors  should  have  absolved  their  attacks  from  any  power  to 
irritate.  The  violations  of  refinement  and  propriety  thus 
"  set  in  a  note  book  "  were  by  no  means  universal.  Many  of 
them  were  temporary,  and,  taken  at  their  best  significance,  to 
a  philosophical  mind  bore  no  proportion  to  the  more  impor 
tant  traits  and  tendencies  which  invite  the  attention  and 
enlist  the  sympathy  of  lovers  of  humanity.  It  is  remark 
able,  also,  that  the  most  severe  comments  came  from  persons 


254:  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

whose  experience  of  the  higher  usages  and  refinements  of 
social  life  was  in  the  inverse  ratio  of  their  critical  complaints. 
Lord  Carlisle  found,  in  the  vast  social  possibilities  of  this 
country,  an  interest  which  rendered  him  indifferent  to  the  dis 
comfort  and  the  anomalies  to  which  his  own  habits  and  asso 
ciations  might  have  naturally  made  him  sensitive  ;  while  the 
latter  exclusively  occupied  Dickens,  whose  early  experience 
had  made  him  familiar  with  the  least  elegant  and  luxurious 
facilities  of  life.  The  arrant  cockneyism  and  provincial  im 
pertinence  of  many  of  these  superficial  and  sensation  writers, 
on  a  subject  whose  true  and  grand  relations  they  were  incapa 
ble  of  grasping,  and  the  mercenary  or  sycophantic  motive  of 
many  of  their  tirades,  were  often  exposed ;  while  in  cases 
where  incidental  popular  errors  were  truly  stated,  the  justice 
of  the  criticism  was  acknowledged,  and,  in  some  instances, 
practically  acted  upon.  The  reckless  expectoration,  angular 
attitudes,  and  intrusive  curiosity  which  formed  the  staple 
reproach,  have  always  been  limited  to  a  class  or  section,  and 
are  now  comparatively  rare  ;  and  these  and  similar  superficial 
defects,  when  gravely  treated  as  national,  seem  almost  devoid 
of  significance,  when  the  grand  human  worth,  promise,  and 
beauty  of  our  institutions  and  opportunities  as  a  people,  are 
considered  and  compared  with  the  iron  caste,  the  hopeless 
routine,  the  cowed  and  craven  status  of  the  masses  in  older 
and  less  homogeneous  and  unhampered  communities. 

"We  must  look  far  back  to  realize  the  prevalent  ignorance 
in  regard  to  this  country  wherein  prejudice  found  root  and 
nurture.  In  colonial  days,  many  bitter  and  perverse  records 
found  their  way  to  the  press ;  and  Colonel  Barre  said  to  the 
elder  Quincy,  in  England,  before  the  Revolutionary  war : 
"  When  I  returned  to  this  country,  I  was  often  speaking  of 
America,  and  could  not  help  speaking  well  of  its  climate, 
soil,  and  inhabitants  ;  but — will  you  believe  it  ? — more  than 
two  thirds  of  the  people  of  this  island  thought  the  Ameri 
cans  were  all  negroes." 

Goldsmith's  muse,  in  1765,  warned  the  impoverished  peas 
ants,  eager  to  seek  a  new  home  in  the  Western  hemisphere, 


ENGLISH   ABUSE   OF   AMERICA.  255 

against  perils  in  America  so  imaginary,  that  they  would  pro 
voke  only  smiles  but  for  the  melodious  emphasis  whereby 
ignorance  and  error  were  thus  consecrated. 

And  after  our  independence  was  acknowledged,  English 
men  regarded  it  as  a  strictly  political  fact.  We  were  inde 
pendent  of  their  Government,  but  not  of  themselves — the 
least  of  them  assuming  superiority,  patronage,  and  critical 
functions,  as  a  matter  of  course ;  so  that  Americans  with  any 
intelligence  or  manliness  came  inevitably  to  sympathize  with 
Heine's  estimate  :  "  The  English  blockheads — God  forgive 
them  !  I  often  regard  them  not  at  all  as  my  fellow  beings, 
but  as  miserable  automata, — machines  whose  motive  power  is 
egotism."  That  insular  and  inevitable  trait  found  expression, 
as  regards  America,  through  the  Quarterly  Reviews,  Monthly 
Magazines,  and  a  rapid  succession  of  "  Travels." 

A  pregnant  cause  of  temporary  alienation,  fifty  years 
ago,  may  be  recognized  in  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain. 
Our  naval  skill  and  prowess  were  a  sore  trial  to  the  pride  of 
Englishmen ;  although  some  of  the  popular  authors  of  that 
day,  like  Southey,  frankly  acknowledged  this  claim  to  respect. 
"  Britain  had  ruled  the  waves.  So  her  poets  sang ;  so  nations 
felt — all  but  this  young  nation.  Her  trident  had  laid  them  all 
prostrate  ;  and  how  fond  she  was  of  considering  this  emblem 
as  identified  with  the  sceptre  of  the  world !  Behold,  then,  the 
flag  which  had  everywhere  reigned  in  triumph  supreme,  send 
ing  forth  terror  from  its  folds — behold  it  again  and  again  and 
again  lowered  to  the  Stars  and  Stripes  which  had  risen  in  the 
new  hemisphere  !  The  spectacle  was'magnificent.  The  Euro 
pean  expectation  that  we  were  to  be  crushed,  was  turned  into 
a  feeling  of  admiration  unbounded.  Our  victories  had  a  moral 
effect  far  transcending  the  number  or  size  of  their  ships  van 
quished.  For  such  a  blow  upon  the  mighty  name  of  Eng 
land,  after  many  idle  excuses,  she  had,  at  last,  no  balm  so 
effectual  as  that  it  was  inflicted  and  could  only  have  been 
inflicted  by  a  race  sprung  from  herself."  * 

*  "  Occasional  Productions  :  Political,  Diplomatic,  and  Miscellaneous,"  by 
the  late  Richard  Rush,  Philadelphia,  1860. 


256  AMERICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

Coincident  with  or  ere  long  succeeding  this  naval  pres 
tige,  our  commercial  marine  advanced  in  character  and  pros 
perity.  The  cotton  of  the  South  became  an  essential  com 
modity  to  Great  Britain.  In  New  England,  manufactures 
were  firmly  established,  with  important  mechanical  improve 
ments  and  facilities  ;  while  the  Western  States  became  more 
and  more  the  granary  of  Europe.  New  territorial  acqui 
sitions,  increase  of  mines,  and  a  system  of  public  instruction, 
which  seemed  to  guarantee  an  improved  generation  of  the 
middle  and  lower  class — these,  and  other  elements  of  growth, 
power,  and  plenty,  tended  to  foster  the  spirit  of  rivalry  and 
jealous  criticism,  and  to  lessen  the  complacent  gaze  where 
with  England  beheld  her  long  chain  of  colonial  possessions 
begird  the  globe.  Thus  a  variety  of  circumstances  united  to 
aggravate  the  prejudice  and  encourage  the  animadversions  of 
English  travellers  in  America,  and  to  make  them  acceptable 
to  their  countrymen.  And  it  is  a  curious  fact  for  the  philoso 
pher,  an  auspicious  one  for  the  humanitarian,  that  the  under 
current  of  personal  and  social  goodwill,  as  regards  individu 
als,  of  sympathy,  respect,  and,  in  many  instances,  warmer 
sentiments,  flowed  on  uninterrupted;  individual  friendships 
of  the  choicest  kind,  hospitalities  of  the  most  frank  and  gen 
erous  character,  mutual  interests  and  feelings  in  literature, 
religion,  philanthropy,  and  science,  consecrated  the  private 
intercourse  and  enriched  the  correspondence  of  select  intelli 
gences  and  noble  hearts  on  opposite  sides  of  the  Atlantic. 
But  the  record  of  the  hour,  the  utterances  of  the  press,  were 
as  we  have  seen. 

The  importance  attached  to  the  swarm  of  English  Travels 
abusive  of  America,  upon  calm  reflection,  appears  like  a 
monomania;  and  equally  preposterous  was  the  sensitiveness 
of  our  people  to  foreign  criticism.  Their  exceptional  fast 
eating,  inquisitiveness,  tobacco  chewing,  ugly  public  build 
ings,  sprawling  attitudes,  and  local  lingo,  were  engrossed  in 
so  huge  a  bill  of  indictment,  that  their  political  freedom, 
social  equality,  educational  privileges,  unprecedented  material 
prosperity,  benign  laws,  and  glorious  country,  seemed  to 


ENGLISH   ABUSE   OF   AMERICA.  257 

shrink,  for  the  moment,  into  insignificance  before  the  mo 
notonous  scurrility  and  hopeless  auguries  of  their  censors. 
It  was  not  considered  that  the  motive  and  method  of  the 
most  of  these  caustic  strictures  rendered  them  innocuous; 
that,  to  use  the  test  of  an  able  writer  in  reference  to  another 
class  of  narrow  minds,  they  "  endeavored  to  atone  by  misan 
thropic  accuracy  for  imbecility  in  fundamental  principles ; " 
that  few  English  men  or  women  can  write  an  authentic  report 
of  social  and  political  facts  in  America,  differences  of  habit 
and  opinion  therein  being  more  fierce  by  approximation, 
thereby  destroying  the  true  perspective ;  add  to  which  inabil 
ity,  the  miserable  cockney  spirit,  the  dependent  and  subser 
vient  habit  of  mind,  the  underbred  tone,  want  of  respect  for  and 
sympathy  with  humanity  as  such,  limited  powers  of  observa 
tion,  controlling  prejudice,  unaccustomed  consideration,  and 
native  brutality,  which  proclaimed  the  incompetency  and  dis- 
ingenuousness  of  the  lowest  class  of  these  once  formidable 
scribblers ;  and  we  realize  why  "  folly  loves  the  martyrdom 
of  fame,"  and  recognize  an  identical  perversion  of  truth  and 
good  manners  as  well  as  human  instincts  as,  in  the  ignorant  ar 
rogance  which,  in  their  own  vaunted  land  of  high  civilization, 
incarcerated  Montgomery,  Hunt,  and  De  Foe,  exiled  Shelley, 
blackguarded  Keats,  and  envenoms  and  vulgarizes  literary 
criticisms  to-day  in  the  Saturday  Review — ignoring  at  home, 
as  well  as  abroad,  the  comprehensive,  the  sympathetic,  and 
the  Christian  estimate  both  of  genius,  communities,  and 
character. 

The  prevalent  feeling  in  relation  to  this  injustice  and  un- 
kindness  of  English  writers  on  America,  forty  years  ago, 
found  graceful  expression  in  a  chapter  of  the  Sketch  Book, 
the  first  literary  venture  heartily  recognized  for  its  merits  of 
style  and  sentiment,  which  a  native  author  had  given  to  the 
"mother  country."  Irving  comments  on  the  singular  but 
incontrovertible  fact,  that,  while  the  English  admirably  re 
port  their  remote  travels,  no  people  convey  such  prejudiced 
views  of  countries  nearer  home.  He  attributes  the  vulgar 
abuse  lavished  on  the  United  States  by  the  swarm  of  visitors 


258  AMEEICA  AND   HEE  COMMENTATOES.  » 

from  Great  Britain,  first,  to  the  misfortune  that  the  worst 
class  of  English  travellers  have  assumed  this  task  ;  secondly, 
to  the  prejudice  against  democratic  institutions ;  thirdly,  to 
the  lack  of  comforts  in  travelling  here,  whereby  the  humor  is 
rendered  splenetic ;  fourthly,  to  disappointed  avarice  and  en 
terprise  ;  and,  finally,  to  jealousy,  and  a  degree  of  considera 
tion  and  hospitality  to  which  men  of  the  class  of  Birmingham 
and  Manchester  agents,  being  wholly  unaccustomed,  they  were 
spoiled  instead  of  being  conciliated  thereby.  He  descants, 
with  a  good  sense  equally  applicable  to  the  present  hour, 
upon  the  short-sighted  policy  of  incurring  the  resentment  of 
a  young  and  growing  nation  having  a  common  language  and 
innumerable  mutual  interests  ;  and  advances  the  claim  which 
America  possesses  to  every  magnanimous  people  of  Europe, 
as  constituting  the  asylum  of  the  oppressed  and  unfortunate. 
Since  this  amiable  and  just  protest  was  written,  the  intellect 
ual  progress  of  the  country  has  been  as  remarkable  as.  the 
increase  of  its  territory,  population,  resources,  trade,  and 
manufactures  ;  while  even  the  diplomatic  conservatives  across 
the  sea,  recognize  in  the  United  States  a  power  vitally  asso 
ciated  with  that  traditional  "  balance  "  whereon  the  peace  and 
prosperity  of  the  civilized  world  are  thought  to  depend.  But 
the  improved  and  enlarged  tone  of  foreign  criticism  has  not 
quelled  the  original  antipathy  or  prejudice,  indifference  or 
animosity  of  England — as  the  rabid  and  perverse  comments 
of  British  journals,  at  this  terrible  crisis  of  our  national  life, 
too  sadly  demonstrate.  The  same  wilful  ignorance,  the  same 
disingenuous  statements,  the  same  cold  sneers  and  defiant  sar 
casms  find  expression  in  the  leading  organs  of  English  opin 
ion  to-day,  as  once  made  popular  the  shallow  journals  of  the 
commercial  travellers  and  arrogant  cockneys  ;  so  that  we  and 
they  may  revert  to  Irving's  gentle  rebuke,  now  that  he  is  in 
his  grave,  and  feel,  as  of  old,  its  strict  justice  and  sad  neces 
sity.  Hear  him : 

"  Is  this  golden  bond  of  kindred  sympathies,  so  rare  between 
nations,  to  be  broken  forever  ?  Perhaps  it  is  for  the  best :  it  may 
dispel  an  illusion  which  might  have  kept  us  in  mental  vassalage; 


ENGLISH   ABUSE   OF   AMERICA.  259 

which  might  have  interfered  occasionally  with  our  true  interests, 
and  prevented  the  growth  of  proper  national  pride.  But  it  is  hard 
to  give  up  the  kindred  tie  ;  and  there  are  feelings  dearer  than  inter 
est,  closer  to  the  heart  than  pride,  that  will  still  make  us  cast  back  a 
look  of  regret,  as  we  wander  farther  and  farther  from  the  paternal 
roof,  and  lament  the  waywardness  of  the  parent  that  would  repel 
the  affections  of  the  child." 

And  Allston  echoed  Irving's  sense  and  sentiment  with 
genial  emphasis : 

"  While  the  manners,  while  the  arts, 

That  mould  a  nation's  soul, 
Still  cling  around  our  hearts, 

Between  let  ocean  roll, 

Our  joint  communion  breaking  with  the  sun  : 
Yet  still  from  either  beach, 
The  voice  of  blood  shall  reach, 
More  audible  than  speech, 
'  We  are  one.'  " 

The  reader  of  the  present  day,  who  is  inclined  to  doubt 
the  justice  of  any  reference  to  this  contemptible  class  of 
writers,  as  representatives  of  English  feeling  toward  Amer 
ica,  has  but  to  consult  the  best  periodical  literature,  and  note 
the  style  and  imprint  of  the  books  themselves,  to  recognize 
in  the  fact  of  their  eligible  publication  and  reception,  an  abso 
lute  proof  of  the  consideration  they  enjoyed ;  and  this,  be  it 
remembered,  in  spite  of  the  known  character  and  objects  of 
the  authors,  whose  position  and  associations  unfitted  them  for 
social  critics  and  economical  reporters  such  as  an  intelligent 
gentleman  could  endure,  far  less  accord  the  slightest  personal 
or  literary  credit.  Ashe  is  openly  described  as  a  swindler ; 
Faux  as  "  low ; "  Parkinson  was  a  common  gardener ;  Fearon 
a  stocking-weaver.  Cobbett,  who  is  the  last  person  to  be  sus 
pected  of  aristocratic  prejudices,  and  was  the  most  practical 
and  perverse  of  democrats,  observed,  in  reading  the  fasti 
dious  comments  of  one  of  these  impudent  travellers,  upon 
an  American  meal,  that  it  was  "  such  a  breakfast  as  the  fel 
low  had  never  before  tasted ; "  and  the  remark  explains  the 
presumption  and  ignorance  of  many  of  this  class  of  writers, 


260  AMERICA   AND   HEE   COMMENTATORS. 

who,  never  before  having  enjoyed  the  least  social  considera 
tion  or  private  luxury,  became,  like  a  beggar  on  horseback, 
intoxicated  therewith. 

Even  a  cursory  glance  at  the  catalogue  of  books  thus  pro 
duced  will  indicate  how  popular  was  the  theme  and  how 
audacious  the  writers.  We  remember  falling  in  with  a  clever 
but  impoverished  professor,  several  years  ago,  in  Italy,  who 
had  resided  in  this  country,  but  found  himself  in  Europe  with 
out  means.  In  obedience  to  an  appeal  which  reached  us,  we 
sought  his  economical  lodging,  and  found  him  pacing  up  and 
down  a  scantily  furnished  chamber,  every  now  and  then  .seizing 
a  pen  and  rapidly  noting  the  result  of  his  cogitations.  He  had 
been  offered,  by  a  London  publisher,  a  handsome  gratuity  to 
furnish,  within  a  specified  period,  a  lively  anti-democratic 
book  on  life  and  manners  in  America.  The  contract,  he 
assured  us,  provided  that  there  should  be  enough  practical 
details,  especially  in  regard  to  the  physical  resources  of  the 
country,  to  give  an  air  of  solid  information  to  the  work. 
There  were  to  be  a  vein  of  personal  anecdote,  a  few  original 
adventures,  some  exaggerated  character  painting,  and  a  little 
enthusiasm  about  scenery  :  but  all  this  was  to  be  well  spiced 
with  ridicule ;  and  the  argument  of  the  book  was  to  demon 
strate  the  inevitable  depreciation  of  mind,  manners,  and  en 
joyment  under  the  influence  of  democratic  institutions.  The 
poor  author  tasked  his  memory  and  his  invention  to  follow 
this  programme,  without  a  particle  of  conviction  in  the  em 
phatic  declaration  of  his  opinions,  or  any  sympathy  with 
the  work  other  than  what  was  derived  from  its  lucrative 
reward.  The  incident  illustrates  upon  what  a  conventional 
basis  the  rage  for  piquant  Travels  in  America  rested. 

Contemporary  periodical  literature  echoed  constantly  the 
narrow  comments  and  vapid  faultfinding  of  this  class  of 
English  travellers,  most  of  whose  sneers  may  be  found  re 
peated  with  zest  in  the  pages  of  the  Quarterly  and  Black- 
wood.  Somewhat  of  the  personal  prejudice  of  these  articles 
is  doubtless  to  be  ascribed  to  political  influences.  Then,  as 
now,  the  encroachment  of  democratic  opinions  excited  the 


ENGLISH   ABUSE  OF   AMEEICA.  261 

alarm  of  the  conservatives.  The  reform  party  had  made 
extraordinary  advances,  and  the  extension  of  the  right  of 
suffrage  became  the  bugbear  of  the  aristocracy.  To  repre 
sent  the  country  where  that  right  had  such  unlimited  sway, 
as  demoralized  thereby,  became  the  policy  of  all  but  the  so- 
called  radical  writers;  and  the  Reviews,  fifty  years  ago, 
exhibited  the  worst  side  o?  American  life,  manners,  and  gov 
ernment,  for  the  same  reason  that  the  London  Times  and 
JZlackwood's  Magazine*  to-day  persist,  in  the  face  of  truth 
and  history,  in  ascribing  the  Southern  Rebellion  to  repub 
lican  institutions,  instead  of  their  greatest  bane  and  most 
anomalous  obstacle  on  this  continent — slavery.  Thus  the 
organs  of  literature  and  opinion  encouraged  the  cockney 
critics  in  their  flippant  strictures  upon  this  country,  and  did 
much  to  prolong  and  disseminate  them  where  the  English 
language  is  spoken.  But  the  journals  of  the  United  States 
were  not  less  trenchant  on  the  other  side.  In  the  North 
American  Review,  especially,  several  of  the  most  presuming 
and  ignorant  of  the  books  in  question  were  shown  up  with 
keen  and  wise  irony,  and  an  array  of  argumentative  facts 
that  demolished  their  pretensions  effectually.  It  should  be 
remembered,  in  regard  to  this  period,  when  expediency,  fash 
ion,  and  prejudice  combined  to  make  our  country  the  favorite 
target  of  opprobrious  criticism  in  Great  Britain,  that  Amer 
ica  began  to  excite  fears  for  that  "  balance  of  power  "  which 
was  the  gauge  of  political  security  among  the  statesmen  of 
that  day.  Moreover,  the  literary  society  then  and  there  had 
not  been  propitiated  by  success  on  this  side  of  the  water,  nor 
its  respect  excited  by  the  intellectual  achievements  which 
have  since  totally  reversed  the  prophecies  and  the  judgments 
of  English  reviewers ;  nor  had  the  United  States  then  be 
come,  as  now,  the  nation  of  readers  whose  favor  it  was  the 
interest  as  well  as  the  pride  of  popular  authors  abroad  to  win 

*  "  It  would  perhaps  be  too  much  to  say  that  the  tendencies  of  our  Consti 
tution  toward  democracy  have  been  checked  solely  by  a  view  of  the  tattered 
and  insolent  guise  in  which  republicanism  appears  in  America." — Blackwood's 
Mag.,  1862. 


262  AMERICA   AND   HER,   COMMENTATORS. 

and  cherish.  In  reverting  to  some  of  the  articles  which 
proved  most  offensive  and  to  the  tone  of  all  that  more  or  less 
sanctioned  the  spirit  of  vituperative  travellers  in  America,  it 
should  also  be  considered  that  private  feeling,  in  certain 
instances,  lent  vigor  to  the  critical  blows.  Some  of  the 
writers  had  been  annoyed  by  the  intrusion  or  disgusted  with 
the  indelicacy  of  pertinacious  and  underbred  tourists  from 
this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  Many  were  the  current  anecdotes 
illustrative  of  Yankee  impudence  which  the  friends  of 
Southey,  Maria  Edgeworth,  and  Sir  Walter  Scott  used  to 
relate — anecdotes  that,  unfortunately,  have  found  their  paral 
lels  since  in  the  experience  of  Carlyle,  Tennyson,  and  other 
admired  living  writers.  And,  although  these  and  their  pre 
decessors  have  found  reason  to  bless  the  "  nation  of  bores," 
as  in  many  instances  their  most  appreciative  and  remunerative 
audience,  personal  pique  did  and  still  does  sharpen  the  tone 
and  scope  of  British  authorship  when  America  is  referred  to, 
as  in  the  case  of  Sydney  Smith,*  whose  investments  were 
unfortunate,  or  Leigh  Hunt,  whose  copyrights  were  invaded, 
or  Dickens  and  other  British  lions,  who  found  adulation  and 
success  less  a  cause  for  gratitude  than  for  ridicule ;  while 
every  popular  British  novelist  has  a  character,  an  anecdote, 
or  an  illustration  drawn  from  traditional  caricatures  of 
American  manners  and  speech.  A  comprehensive  mind  and 
a  generous  heart  turns,  however,  from  such  ephemeral  mis 
representation  and  casual  reproach  as  the  bookwrights  and 
reviewers  in  question  delighted  in,  not  so  much  vexed  as 
wearied  thereby  ;  but  it  is  a  more  grave  reflection  upon  Eng 
lish  probity  and  good  sense,  that  so  many  of  her  standard 
writers,  or  those  who  aspire  to  be  such,  are  disinclined  to 
ascertain  the  facts  of  history  and  social  life  in  America. 

*  Notwithstanding  the  deserved  rebuke  he  administered  to  our  State 
delinquency  in  his  American  letters,  Sydney  Smith  vindicates  his  claim  to  the 
title  of  Philo-Yankeeist.  No  British  writer  has  better  appreciated  the  insti 
tutions  and  destiny  of  the  United  States.  He  recognized  cordially  the  latent 
force  of  Webster,  the  noble  eloquence  of  Channing,  and  the  refined  scholar 
ship  of  Everett.  "  I  will  disinherit  you,"  he  playfully  writes  to  his  daughter, 
'*  if  you  do  not  admire  everything  written  by  Franklin." 


ENGLISH  ABUSE  OF  AMEKICA.  263 

Such  wilful  errors  as  those  of  Lord  Mahon  and  Alison,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  vast  display  of  ignorance  evoked  by  the 
recent  discussion  in  British  journals  of  the  Rebellion  in 
America,  are  utterly  unworthy  of  men  of  professed  candor  and 
scholarship  in  this  age.  The  specific  objections  to  American 
civilization,  political  and  social,  emphasized  with  such  zeal 
and  unanimity,  by  certain  English  writers,  are  often  just  and 
true ;  but  the  statement  thereof  is  none  the  less  disingenu 
ous  because  the  compensatory  facts  are  withheld,  and  inci 
dental,  particular,  and  social  faults  treated  as  normal  and 
national.  This  kind  of  sophistry  runs  through  the  Travels, 
Journals,  and  conversation  of  that  illiberal  class  of  British 
critics  who,  then  as  now,  from  policy,  prejudice,  or  personal 
conceit  or  disappointment,  habitually  regard  every  question, 
character,  and  production  of  American  origin  with  dislike 
and  suspicion. 

This  inveterate  tendency  to  look  at  things  exclusively 
from  the  point  of  view  suggested  by  national  prejudices,  is 
apparent  in  the  most  casual  notice  of  American  localities.  A 
writer  in  Blackwood '«  Magazine,*  describing  his  visit  to  the 
"  Cave  of  the  Regicides,"  at  New  Haven,  is  disgusted  by 
the  difference  of  aspect  and  customs  there  exhibited  from 
those  familiar  to  him  at  the  old  seats  of  learning  in  England ; 
and,  instead  of  ascribing  them  to  the  simple  habits  and  lim 
ited  resources  of  the  place,  with  a  curious  and  dogmatic  per 
versity,  finds  their  origin  in  political  and  historical  opinions, 
about  which  the  students  and  professors  of  Yale  care  little 
and  know  less ;  as  a  few  quotations  from  the  article  will 
indicate : 

"  I  suspect  the  person  who  leaned  over  the  bulwarks  of  the 
steamer  and  gave  me  the  facts,  was  a  dissenting  minister  going  up  to 
be  at  his  college  at  this  important  anniversary.  There  was  a  tone  in 
his  voice  which  sufficiently  indicated  his  sympathies.  The  regicides 
were  evidently  the  calendared  saints  of  his  religion."  *  *  * 

*  *  *  "  The  streets  were  alive  with  bearded  and  mustached 
youth ;  but  they  wore  hats,  and  flaunted  not  a  rag  of  surplice  or 

*  Blackwood's  Mag.,  vol.  Ixi.,  p.  333. 


264:  AMEKICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

gown.  They  are  devoutly  eschewed  as  savoring  too  much  of  popery ; 
nor  master,  doctor,  or  scholar  appears  with  the  time-honored  de 
cency  which,  to  my  antiquated  notion,  is  quite  inseparable  from  the 
true  regimen  of  a  university." 

"  It  was  really  farcical  to  see  the  good  old  president  confer  de 
grees  with  an  attempt  at  ceremony,  which  seemed  to  have  no  rubric 
but  extemporary  convenience  and  the  despatch  of  business."  *  *  * 

"  In  this  college  one  sees  the  best  that  Puritanism  could  produce ; 
and  I  thought  what  Oxford  and  Cambridge  might  have  become, 
under  the  invading  reforms  of  the  usurpation,  had  the  Protectorate 
been  less  impotent  to  reproduce  itself." 

The  memorable  papers  which  first  established  the  reputa 
tion  of  Dickens,  curiously  indicate  the  prevalence  of  this 
deprecatory  and  venal  spirit  in  English  writers  on  America, 
at  a  later  period.  The  elder  Weller,  in  suggesting  to  Sami- 
vel  his  notable  plan  for  the  escape  of  Pickwick  from  the 
Fleet  prison,  by  concealing  himself  in  a  "  pianner  forty,"  sig 
nificantly  adds  :  "  Have  a  passage  ready  taken  for  'Merriker. 
Let  the  gov'iier  stop  there  till  Mrs.  Bardell  's  dead,  and  then 
let  him  come  back  and  write  a  book  about  the  'Merrikens 
as  '11  pay  all  his  expenses,  and  more,  if  he  blows  'em  up 
enough." 

The  preeminence  of  the  British  colonies  in  America  early 
proved  the  Anglo-Saxon  destiny  of  this  continent.  The  long 
wars  with  the  aborigines,  and  the  memorable  struggle  be 
tween  the  French  and  English,  resulting  in  the  confirmed 
possession  and  sway  of  the  latter  rule  and  colonies,  and, 
finally,  the  American  Revolution  and  its  immediate  and  later 
consequences,  furnish  to  a  philosophic  and  benevolent  mind 
so  remarkable  an  historical  series  of  events,  combining  to 
results  of  such  infinite  significance,  not  to  this  country  and 
nation  alone,  but  to  the  world  and  humanity,  that  it  is  sur 
prising  English  speculation  and  criticism  so  long  continued 
narrow,  egotistic,  and  unsympathizing.  Noble  exceptions, 
indeed,  are  to  be  remembered.  Chatham,  the  most  heroic, 
Burke,  the  most  philosophic  of  British  statesmen,  early  and 
memorably  recognized  the  claims,  the  character,  and  the  des 
tiny  of  our  country ;  and  many  of  the  intellectual  nobility 


ENGLISH  ABUSE  OF  AMERICA.  265 

of  Great  Britain,  in  the  flush  of  youthful  aspirations,  baffled 
by  political  or  social  exclusiveness,  turned  their  hopes  and 
their  tributes  toward  the  Western  continent.  But  among  the 
numerous  English  visitors  who  undertook  to  describe,  to  illus 
trate,  and  to  criticize  nature,  government,  and  society  in  the 
United  States  for  the  benefit  of  their  countrymen,  few  have 
proved  adequate  or  just ;  and  still  less  is  the  number  who 
rose  to  the  philosophy  of  the  subject. 

Many  of  the  French  writers  seize  upon  practical  truths  of 
universal  interest,  or  evolve  the  sentiment  of  the  theme  with 
zest :  either  process  gives  a  vital  charm  to  descriptions  and 
speculations,  and  places  the  reader  in  a  genuine  human  rela 
tion  with  the  writer.  The  same  distinction  between  the  Eng 
lish  and  French  method  of  treating  our  condition,  history, 
and  character,  is  observable  in  the  current  literature  of  both 
countries,  as  well  as  in  the  works  of  their  respective  travel 
lers.  How  rarely  in  an  English  writer  do  we  encounter  epi 
sodical  remarks  so  generous  in  tone  as  this  page  from  Miche- 
let's  little  treatise,  "  La  Her  " : 

"  L'Amerique,  est  le  desir.  Elle  est  jeune,  et  elle  brule  d'etre  en 
rapport  avec  le  globe.  Sur  son  superbe  continent,  et  au  milieu  de 
tant  d'Etats,  elle  se  croit  pourtant  solitaire.  Si  loin  de  sa  mere 
1'Europe,  elle  regarde  vers  ce  centre  de  la  civilization,  comme  la 
terre  vers  le  soleil,  et  tout  ce  qui  la  rapproche  du  gr°nd  luminaire  la 
fait  palpiter,  qu'on  en  juge  par  1'ivresse,  par  les  fetes  si  touchantes 
auxquelles  donna  lieu  la-bas  le  telegraphe  sous-marin  qui  mariat  les 
deux  rivages,  promettait  le  dialogue  et  la  replique  par  minutes, 
de  sorte  que  les  deux  mondes  n'auraient  plus  qu'une  pensee !  " 

The  historical  character  of  France  and  England  explains 
the  discrepancy  so  evident  in  their  recorded  estimate  of  and 
sentiments  in  regard  to  America.  The  former  nation  envied 
the  Spaniards  the  renown  of  their  peerless  discovery,  and 
blamed  their  king  for  not  having  entertained  the  project  of 
Columbus.  As  a  people,  they  love  power  more  than  gain, 
and  are  ever  more  swayed  by  ideas  than  interest ;  whereas, 
in  the  earliest  chronicles  of  English  polity,  we  find  a  spirit 
of  calculation.  On  that  side  of  the  Channel,  we  are  told, 
12 


266  AMERICA  AND   HEK  COMMENTATORS. 

they  "  seldom  voted  a  subsidy  without  bargaining  for  a 
right ; "  and  in  a  sketch  of  the  wars  between  the  two  coun 
tries,  one  of  their  own  writers  observes :  "  Our  character  at 
that  time  (1547)  was  more  economical  than  heroic;  and  we 
seldom  set  our  foot  in  France,  unless  on  the  careful  calcula 
tion  of  how  much  the  enemy  would  give  us  for  going  away 
again." 

This  sharp  appreciation  of  material  results  has  had  much 
to  do  with  the  civic  prosperity  of  England,  for  thereby  the 
popular  mind  has  grown  alert  and  efficient  in  securing  those 
privileges  in  which  consists  the  superiority  of  the  English 
Constitution,  and  the  absence  of  which  enabled  Philip  Au 
gustus,  Richelieu,  and  Louis  XIV.  to  establish  in  France  such 
absolute  despotism.  On  the  other  hand,  so  exclusive  and 
pertinacious  a  tendency  to  self-interest  is  and  has  proved,  in 
the  case  of  England,  a  serious  obstacle  to  those  generous 
national  sentiments  which  endear  and  elevate  a  people  and  a 
Government  in  the  estimation  of  humanity ;  and  it  is  only 
necessary  to  recall  the  caricatures  of  the  French,  the  Dutch, 
the  German,  and  Italian  character,  which  pervade  English 
literature,  to  realize  the  force  of  insular  prejudice  and  self- 
concentration  thus  confirmed  by  national  habits  "and  polity. 

"  Some  years  ago,"  says  a  popular  English  writer,  "  it 
would  have  been  an  unexampled  stretch  of  liberality  to  have 
confessed  that  France  had  any  good  qualities  at  all.  Our 
country  was  an  island — we  despised  the  rest  of  the  world ; 
our  county  was  an  island — we  despised  the  other  shires  ;  our 
parish  was  an  island,  with  peculiar  habits,  modes,  and  insti 
tutions  ;  our  households  were  islands ;  and,  to  complete  the 
whole,  each  stubborn,  broad-shouldered,  strong-backed  Eng 
lishman  was  an  island  by  himself,  surrounded  by  a  misty  and 
tumultuous  sea  of  prejudices."  * 

A  curious  illustration  is  afforded  by  the  entire  series  of 

English   Travels  in  America,    of  this  national   egotism   so 

characteristic  of  England,  w^liich  regards  foreign  countries 

and  people  exclusively  through  the  narrow  medium  of  self- 

*  Rev.  James  White. 


ENGLISH  ABUSE   OF  AMEEICA.  267 

love.  The  tone  of  these  records  of  a  sojourn  or  an  explora 
tion  in  America  is  graduated,  almost  invariably,  as  to  the 
sympathy  or  the  depreciation,  by  the  relation  of  the  two 
countries  to  each  other  at  different  times.  For  a  long  period 
after  the  early  colonization,  so  remote  and  unprofitable  was 
the  New  World,  that  indifference  marks  the  allusions  to,  and 
superficiality  or  contempt  the  accounts  of,  those  thinly  settled 
and  unprosperous  communities.  As  they  grew  in  population 
and  resources,  and  glimpses  were  obtained  of  a  possible 
future  alike  promising  to  the  devotees  of  gain,  of  ambition, 
and  of  political  reform  and  religious  independence,  English 
writers  dwell  with  complacency  upon  the  natural  beauties 
and  fertility  of  the  land,  upon  the  prospect  here  opened  for 
enterprise ;  and  as  a  colonial  tributary  to  their  power  and 
wealth,  America,  or  that  part  of  it  colonized  by  the  British, 
is  described  with  pride  and  pleasure ;  even  its  social  traits 
occasionally  lauded,  and  the  details  of  observation  and  expe 
rience  given  with  elaborate  relish.  Especially  do  we  find 
political  malcontents  at  home,  and  social  aspirants  or  benign 
and  intelligent  visitors,  dwelling  upon  the  novel  features  and 
free  scope  of  the  country  with  satisfaction.  Immediately 
subsequent  to  the  Revolution,  a  different  spirit  is  manifest. 
When  the  choicest  jewel  of  her  crown  had  been  wrested 
from  the  grasp  of  Great  Britain,  numerous  flaws  therein  be 
came  at  once  evident  to  the  critical  eyes  of  English  travel 
lers  ;  and,  though  occasionally  a  refreshing  contrast  is  afforded 
by  the  candid  and  cordial  estimate  of  a  liberal  writer,  the 
disingenuous  and  deprecatory  temper  prevails.  It  is  impos 
sible  not  to  perceive  that  the  rapid  growth  and  unique  pros 
perity  of  a  country  governed  by  popular  institutions,  without 
an  established  church,  a  royal  family,  an  order  of  nobility, 
and  all  the  expensive  arrangements  incident  to  monarchical 
sway,  however  free  and  constitutional,  has  been  and  is  a 
cause  of  uneasiness  and  hatred  to  a  nation  of  kindred  lan 
guage  and  character.  "  Freedom,"  wrote  Heine,  "  has  sprung 
in  England  from  privileges — from  historical  events.  All  Eng 
land  is  congealed  in  mediaeval,  never-to-be-rejuvenated  institu- 


268  AMERICA  AND   HER  COMMENTATORS. 

tions,  behind  which  her  aristocracy  is  intrenched,  awaiting 
the  death  struggle."  Hence  the  example  of  America  has 
been  to  a  large  political  party,  to  a  proud  social  organiza 
tion,  inauspicious ;  to  the  popular,  the  liberal,  the  democratic 
masses,  encouraging.  Hence  the  base  jubilee  at  our  recent 
internal  dissensions,  whose  root — slavery* — was  planted  by 
the  English  themselves.  Hence  their  constant  assertion  that 
"  the  republic  is  a  failure." 

One  of  the  chief  grounds  of  complaint  stated,  when  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  was  first  written,  against  the 
British  Government,  was  that  it  had,  contrary  to  the  Wishes 
of  the  colonies,  planted  African  slavery  on  our  soil.  Hence 
the  extreme  baseness  of  ignoring  this  primal  and  positive 
cause  of  our  domestic  troubles  on  the  part  of  writers  and 
rulers  in  England,  and  striving  to  make  republican  institu 
tions  responsible  exclusively  therefor — a  course  referable  to 
shameful  jealousy,  and  to  the  want  of  cotton  and  the  desire 
for  free  trade.  In  all  British  history  there  is  no  more  re 
markable  illustration  of  what  De  Tocqueville,  whose  English 
proclivities  and  philosophic  candor  no  intelligent  reader  can 
question,  remarked,  in  one  of  his  letters : 

"  In  the  eyes  of  an  Englishman,  a  cause  is  just  if  it  be  the  inter 
est  of  England  that  it  should  succeed.  A  man  or  a  Government  that 
is  useful  to  England,  has  every  kind  of  merit;  and  one  that  does 
England  harm,  every  possible  fault.  The  criterion  of  what  is  honor 
able,  or  just,  is  to  l)e  found  in  the  degree  of  favor  or  of  opposition  to 
English  interests.  There  is  much  of  this  everywhere  ;  but  there  is 
so  much  of  it  in  England  that  a  foreigner  is  astonished." 

The  mineral  wealth  and  adaptation  of  mechanical  pro 
cesses  to  manufacture,  which  laid  the  foundation  of  Eng 
land's  commercial  prosperity,  are  no  longer  a  monopoly. 
Identical  resources  have  been  elsewhere  developed  and  em 
ployed,  and  her  productions  and  enterprise  have  become,  in 
the  same  proportion,  less  essential  to  the  industry  of  the 

*  It  was  the  monopoly  of  the  infamous  traffic  in  negroes,  which,  during  the 
ministry  of  Sir  Robert  Walpole,  so  greatly  increased  the  mercantile  prosperity 
of  London,  and  founded  that  of  Bristol  and  Liverpool. 


ENGLISH  ABUSE   OF  AMERICA.  269 

world.  Her  power,  therefore,  in  more  than  one  direction,  is 
on  the  wane.  But  to  a  liberal  and  philosophic  mind,  the 
grand  natural  provision  for  the  subsistence  of  her  impover 
ished  laborers,  and  the  .permanent  amelioration  of  their 
status,  on  this  continent,  should  be  regarded  as  a  vast  bless 
ing,  not  a  selfish  vexation ;  as  a  cause  of  religious  gratitude, 
and  not  of  jealous  detraction.  Will  it  not  prove  a  sugges 
tive  anomaly  to  the  rational  historian  of  the  wonderful  age 
in  which  we  live,  when  science,  letters,  adventure,  economy, 
education,  and  travel  are  making  human  beings  every  day 
less  local  and  egotistic,  and  more  cosmopolitan  and  humane, 
in  their  relations  and  sentiments — that  in  such  an  age,  when, 
for  the  privilege  of  holding  black  people  in  servitude  unchal 
lenged,  a  class  of  American  citizens  rose  in  arms  against 
national  authority,  the  nobles  of  England,  and  a  portion  of 
her  traders  and  manufacturers,  became  the  allies  of  the  insur 
gents  ;  while  the  royal  family,  the  starving  thousands  of  Lan 
cashire — who  are  the  real  sufferers  from  the  war — and  the 
bravest  and  wisest  representatives  of  the  people  in  Parlia 
ment,  gave  to  the  United  States,  and  to  the  cause  of  justice 
and  of  freedom,  their  sympathy,  advocacy,  and  respect  ? 
The  real  fear  of  America  in  Great  Britain  is  of  our  moral 
influence,  which,  of  course  and  inevitably,  is  democratic  ;  and 
if  her  detractors  in  England  are  pensioned,  the  working 
class  there  spontaneously,  through  faith  and  hope,  attach 
themselves  to  her  cause. 

The  superior  candor  of  the  French  writers  on  America  is 
obvious  to  the  most  superficial  reader.  The  urbanity  and  the 
philosophical  tendency  of  the  national  mind  account  for  this 
more  genial  and  intelligent  treatment ;  but  the  striking  differ 
ence  of  temper  and  of  scope  between  the  French  and  English 
Travels  in  America,  is  accounted  for  mainly  by  the  compara 
tive  freedom  from  political  and  social  prejudice  on  the  part 
of  the  former,  and  the  frequent  correspondence  of  their  sen 
timents  with  those  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  New  World. 
From  the  descriptions  of  primeval  nature  by  the  early  Jesuit 
missionaries  to  the  gallant  gossip  and  speculative  enthusiasm 


270  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

of  the  French  officers  who  cooperated  in  our  Revolutionary 
struggle,  a  peculiar  sympathy  with  the  prospects  and  affinity 
with  the  conditions  of  nature  and  of  life,  on  this  continent, 
inspire  the  Gallic  writers.  Nor  did  this  partiality  or  sense 
of  justice  diminish  with  the  growth  of  the  country.  From 
the  swarm  of  dilettante  critics  and  arrogant  or  shallow  au 
thors  of  books  on  the  United  States,  during  the  last  fifty 
years,  the  only  philosophical  work  wherein  the  principles  of 
democratic  institutions  are  fairly  discussed,  and  their  peculiar 
operation  in  America  justly  defined,  is  the  standard  treatise 
of  Alexis  de  Tocqueville ;  while  the  first  able  and  eloquent 
plea  for  our  nationality,  the  first  clear  and  honest  recognition 
of  the  causes  and  significance  of  our  present  civil  war  from 
abroad,  came  from  a  French  publicist.  What  a  contrast  be 
tween  the  considerate  argument  and  noble  vindication  of  Do 
Gasparin,  and  the  perverse  dogmatism,  disingenuous  tone, 
and  malicious  exaggeration  of  a  large  part  of  the  English 
periodical  press !  "  We  are  not  just  toward  the  United 
States,"  says  the  former.  "  Their  civilization,  so  different 
from  ours,  wounds  us  in  various  ways,  and  we  turn  from 
them  in  the  ill  humor  excited  by  their  real  defects,  without 
taking  note  enough  of  their  eminent  qualities.  This  country, 
which  possesses  neither  church  nor  state,  nor  any  government 
al  protection ;  this  country,  born  yesterday — born  under  a 
Puritan  influence ;  this  country,  without  past  history,  with 
out  monuments,  separated  from  the  middle  ages  by  the 
double  interval  of  centuries  and  beliefs ;  this  rude  country 
of  farmers  and  pioneers,  has  nothing  fitted  to  please  us.  It 
has  the  exuberant  life  and  the  eccentricities  of  youth ;  that 
is,  it  affords  to  our  mature  experience  inexhaustible  subjects 
of  blame  and  raillery." 

This  frank  statement  explains  while  it  does  not  excuse 
the  long  tirades  of  English  writers  against  the  crudities  of 
our  national  life :  not  because  these  were  not  often  truly  re 
ported,  but  because  the  other  side  of  the  story  was  omitted. 
Our  sensitive  pride  of  country  took  offence,  and  thus  gave 
new  provocation  to  the  "  blame  and  raillery "  of  which  De 


ENGLISH   ABUSE   OF   AMERICA.  271 

Gasparin  speaks.  No  American  familiar  with  Europe  can 
wonder  that  refined  visitors  from  the  Old  World  to  the  New 
should  find  the  gregarious  habits,  the  unventilated  and  promis 
cuously  crowded  railway  cars,  the  fragile  high-pressure  steam 
boats  of  the  Western  rivers,  the  cuisine,  the  flashiness,  the  con 
ceit,  the  hardihood,  the  radicalism,  the  costume,  the  architecture, 
the  social  standards,  the  money  worship,  and  the  countless 
incongruities,  especially  en  the  outskirts  of  the  older  settle 
ments,  distasteful,  and  often  revolting ;  but  it  requires  no 
remarkable  powers  of  reflection  to  understand,  and  no  extra 
ordinary  candor  to  admit,  that  many  of  these  repugnant  and 
discordant  facts  are  incidental  to  great  and  benign  innova 
tions  and  improvements  upon  the  hopeless  social  routine  and 
organization  of  Europe ;  that  they  coexist  with  vast  human 
privileges  ;  that  they  are  compensated  for  by  new  and  grand 
opportunities  for  the  mass  of  humanity,  however  much  they 
may  trench  upon  the  comfort  and  sense  of  decency  of  those 
accustomed  to  exclusive  privileges  and  luxury.  It  is  pre 
cisely  because,  as  a  general  rule,  the  French  writers  recog 
nize,  while  so  many  of  the  English  ignore  such  palliations 
and  compensations,  in  judging  of  and  reporting  life  in  Amer 
ica,  that  the  former,  as  a  whole,  are  so  much  more  worthy  of 
respect  and  gratitude.  Any  shallow  vagabond  can  compare 
disadvantageously  the  huge  and  hot  caravansaries  of  West 
ern  travel  with  the  first-class  carriages  of  an  English  railway ; 
the  bad  whiskey  and  tough  steaks  of  a  tavern  in  America 
with  the  quiet  country  inn  and  the  matchless  sirloin  and  ale 
of  old  England.  The  social  contrasts  are  easily  made ;  the 
defects  of  manners  patent ;  but  when  it  is  considered  that 
what  is  applied  by  way  of  privilege  or  superiority  to  a  class 
in  Europe,  is  open — in  a  less  perfect  way,  indeed,  but  still 
open — to  all ;  that  the  average  comfort  and  culture  here  are 
unequalled  in  history ;  and,  above  all,  that  the  prospect  and 
the  principle  of  civil  and  social  life  are  established  on  an  equal 
and  prosperous  basis — the  superficial  defects,  to  the  eye  of 
wisdom  and  the  heart  of  benevolence,  sink  into  comparative 
insignificance.  "  America,"  writes  De  Tocqueville,  "  is  the 


272  AMERICA  AND  HER  COMMENTATORS. 

place  of  all  others  where  the  Christian  religion  has  preserved 
the  most  power  over  souls." 

Other  reasons  for  the  difference  of  English  and  French 
interpretation  of  American  questions  are  well  stated  by  a 
recent  writer  in  the  Revue  des  Deux  Mondes  : 

"  Frenchmen  and  Englishmen  cannot  be  impressed  alike  by  what 
is  passing  in  the  United  States.  At  the  bottom  of  the  quarrel  there 
is,  it  is  true,  the  abolition  of  slavery,  to  which  the  English  are  de 
voted  by  a  glorious  beginning ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  what  relates 
to  the  United  States,  awakens  in  England  memories,  interests,  an 
tipathies,  which  can  have  no  parallel  in  the  politics  or  feelings  of 
France.  In  the  first  place,  the  Star-spangled  Banner  (le-drapeau 
seme  tfetoiles)  is  the  only  flag  that  France  has  never  met  in  the  coali 
tion  of  her  enemies.  To  the  English,  the  United  States  are  always 
the  rebellious  colony  of  the  past ;  to  us,  they  are  a  nation  whose 
independence  we  contributed  to  establish  by  common  victories  car 
ried  in  the  teeth  of  British  obstinacy.  For  British  politics,  in  spite 
of  the  accidental  importance  of  cotton,  it  would  be  a  satisfaction  to 
see  the  American  Union  enfeebled  by  a  division.  For  French  poli 
tics,  the  breaking  up  of  the  American  republic,  which  would  destroy 
the  balance  of  maritime  power,  would  be  a  serious  misfortune.  The 
English  cherish  the  disdain  of  an  aristocratic  race  for  the  republican 
Yankee ;  democratic  France  ( ! )  has  been  enabled  to  take  lessons 
from  American  democracy,  and  has  more  than  once  made  itself  en 
vied  by  the  latter.  The  two  young  volunteers  who  have  just  en 
rolled  themselves  in  the  army  of  the  North  have  thus  remained 
faithful,  in  their  choice  of  the  cause  which  they  would  serve,  to  the 
traditions  of  their  country." 

How  uncandid  English  writers  are,  even  when  quoting 
respectable  authorities,  is  evinced  in  the  remark  of  a  late 
quarterly  reviewer,  in  alluding  to  De  Tocqueville's  hopeful 
views  of  democracy  in  America  in  contrast  with  the  South 
ern  Rebellion :  "If  he  had  lived  a  little  longer,  what  an  ex 
ample  of  the  fallacy  of  man's  profoundest  thoughts  and 
acutest  inference  would  he  himself  have  mournfully  acknowl 
edged,  in  the  unnatural  and  incredible  convulsion  of  the 
United  States  of  America ; "  whereas,  so  far  from  being  un 
natural  and  incredible,  the  whoje  argument  of  De  Tocqueville 
is  prophetic  thereof.  He  knew  the  incubus  of  slavery — the 
anomaly  of  local  despotism  in  the  heart  of  a  republic — must 


ENGLISH  ABUSE   OF   AMERICA.  273 

be  thrown  off,  as  a  loathsome  disease  in  the  body  politic : 
how  and  when,  he  did  not  pretend  to  say ;  but  still  pro 
claimed  his  faith  in  the  strength  of  the  Constitution — the 
vital  power  of  political  justice  embodied  in  a  democratic 
Government,  and  a  vast,  industrious,  educated,  and  religious 
nation — to  triumph  over  this  accidental  poison,  which  had 
been  allowed  to  taint  the  blood  but  not  blast  the  heart  of 
the  republic.  Moreover,  this  same  scientifically  humane 
writer  beheld,  in  the  triumph  of  the  democratic  principle,  the 
progress  of  the  race  and  the  will  of  God ;  but  he  inferred 
not  therefrom  any  roseate  dreams  of  human  perfection  or 
individual  felicity.  On  the  contrary,  as  the  responsibility  of 
governing,  and  the  privileges  of  citizenship  expanded  and  be 
came  confirmed,  he  saw  new  claims  upon  the  serious  elements 
of  life  and  character ;  the  need  of  greater  sacrifices  on  the 
part  of  the  individual ;  a  necessity  for  effort  and  discipline 
calculated  to  solemnize  rather  than  elate.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  obvious  of  compensatory  facts,  that,  as  we  are  more 
free  to  think  and  to  work,  we  afe  less  able  to  enjoy,  as  that 
word  is  commonly  understood.  Where  occupation  is  essen 
tial  to  respectability,  and  public  spirit  a  recognized  duty, 
pleasure  has  but  infrequent  carnival,  and  duty  perpetual  vigil. 
With  all  his  elasticity  of  temperament,  the  self-dependence 
and  the  exciting  scope  of  the  life  of  an  American  tax  the 
powers  of  body  and  mind  as  much  as  they  inspire. 

Geographical  ignorance,  and  errors  in  natural  history,  in 
excusable  now  that  so  many  authentic  accounts  of  the  coun 
try  are  accessible  to  all,  continue  to  be  manifest  even  in  the 
higher  departments  of  English  literature.  Goldsmith's  melan 
choly  exaggeration  of  the  unhealthy  shores  of  Georgia,  in  his 
apostrophe  to  the  peasantry,  finds  a  parallel  in  the  tropical 
flowers  Campbell  ascribes  to  the  valley  of  Wyoming ;  while 
the  last  Cambridge  prize  poem  places  Labrador  in  the  United 
States,  and  confuses  the  locality  of  American  rivers  with 
more  than  poetic  license.  Philosophical  keep  pace  with  geo 
graphical  errors.  Despite  the  evidence  of  common  sense  and 
patent  facts,  the  English  press  insisted  that  Mississippi  repu- 
12* 


274:  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

diation  of  State  debts  was  a  direct  and  legitimate  result  of 
republican  institutions.  It  now  ascribes  the  slaveholders' 
rebellion  to  the  same  cause ;  and  a  religious  review  of  high 
standing  recently  attributed  the  high-flown  and  exaggerated 
style  of  Parke  Custis,  in  his  "  Recollections  of  Washington," 
to  the  undisciplined  American  method  of  expression. 

Ignorance  of  the  social  life  incident  to  republican  institu 
tions  betrays  itself  continually  in  an  indirect  manner.  In  a 
work  recently  published  in  London,  called  the  "  Book  Hunter," 
the  writer  observes  of  a  work  on  American  private  libraries  : 
"  The  statement  that  there  is  in  Dr.  Francis's  library  a  com 
plete  set  of  the  '  Receuil  des  Causes  Celebres,'  &c.,  would 
throw  any  of  our  book  knight-errants  in  convulsions  of  laugh 
ter  ; "  and  elsewhere,  speaking  of  thus  publishing  the  cata 
logue  of  private  libraries,  he  says  :  "  That  the  privacy  of  our 
ordinary  wealthy  and  middle  classes  should  be  invaded  in  a 
similar  shape,  is  an  idea  that  would  not  get  abroad  without 
creating  sensations  of  the  most  lively  horror.  They  manage 
these  things  differently  across  the  Atlantic ;  and  so  here  we 
have  over  fifty  gentlemen's  private  collections  ransacked  and 
anatomized.  If  they  like  it,  we  have  no  reason  to  complain, 
but  rather  have  occasion  to  rejoice  in  the  valuable  and  inter 
esting  result."  How  little  this  writer  seems  to  understand 
that  the  facts  which  excite  his  wonder  and  disgust  are  legiti 
mate  results  of  democratic  society,  wherein  we  are  accus 
tomed  to  forego  private  for  public  good,  and  to  liberally 
exchange  intellectual  privileges  !  Monopolies  are  forced  to 
yield  to  the  pressure  of  humane  exigencies.  It  is  made 
known  that  a  benevolent  physician  has  a  copy  of  the  "  Causes 
Celebres,"  not  because  the  work  is  rare,  but  that  some  poor 
scholar  may  know  where  he  can  refer  to  it ;  for  in  America 
we  are  bred  to  the  recognition  of  mutual  aid  in  culture  as  in 
economy,  and,  like  Sir  Thomas  Brown,  "  study  for  those  who 
will  not  study  for  themselves."  It  may  be  said  of  many 
English  critics,  as  was  said  of  a  recent  traveller  in  America, 
that,  "  living  as  he  had  so  long  in  an  atmosphere  of  country 
houses  and  parsonages,  he  is  constantly  exclaiming  against 


ENGLISH   ABUSE    OF   AMERICA.  275 

the  absence  of  those  complicated  rules  of  social  intercourse 
which  have  so  long  engaged  his  attention." 

<:  When  will  the  English  learn  how  to  write  correctly 
about  this  country  ? "  asks  a  recent  writer.  "  A  very 
friendly  press,  the  Daily  News,  reviewing  Hawthorne's 
book,  says,  very  compassionately,  that  our  '  national  life  has 
been  too  short '  for  the  formation  '  of  a  homogeneous  charac 
ter  '  among  our  people.  We  should  like  to  know  what  homo 
geneity  there  is  among  the  British  people,  though  a  thousand 
years  old,  composed  of  Welshmen  who  cannot  speak  English, 
of  Irishmen  always  in  revolt  and  forever  at  enmity  with  their 
rulers,  of  Scotchmen  who  are  distinct  in  dialect,  manners, 
and  customs,  and  even  now  are  not  too  fond  of  the  Sasse- 
nachs  ?  How  much  of  this  is  there  in  the  English  counties 
of  Yorkshire,  Kent,  Cornwall  ?  The  truth  is,  there  is  far 
more  homogeneity  in  the  United  States,  notwithstanding  its 
short  national  life,  than  there  ever  has  been  in  Great  Britain, 
from  the  time  of  the  heptarchy  down." 

Much  ridicule  has  been  wasted  upon  our  national  sensi 
tiveness  to  criticism;  and  the  hardihood  and  self-love  of 
English  writers  and  talkers  often  repel,  as  weak  and  irra 
tional,  the  expectation  of  sympathy  w^hich  finds  utterance  in 
every  unfortunate  crisis  on  this  side  of  the  water.  Yet  even 
John  Bull  winced  at  Hawthorne's  choicely  worded  and 
thoughtfully  insinuated  hits  at  his  tendency  to  obesity  and 
stagnation.  Without  defending  that  natural  and  honorable 
instinct  that  cherishes  the  tie  of  a  common  language  and 
literature,  historical,  social,  and  domestic  associations  with  a 
distant  people,  in  the  present  age  and  among  enlightened 
nations,  it  is  certainly  justifiable  to  demand  scientific  obser 
vation  in  all  those  deliberate  estimates  of  a  country  or  a  race, 
a  government  or  a  cause,  wherein  mutual  and  permanent 
interests  are  concerned.  One  chief  cause  of  protest  and  com 
plaint  against  British  commentators  on  America,  is  their 
ignorance  of  facts  whereof  but  slight  investigation  would 
requisitely  inform  them,  and  their  wilful  repudiation  of  the 
inferences  thence  resulting.  It  is  a  significant  truth,  that 


276  AMEKICA   AND   HEK   COMMENTATORS. 

throughout  the  vast  discussion  by  newspapers,  reviews,  maga 
zines,  pamphlets,  club  and  dinner  talk,  lectures  and  parlia 
mentary  speeches,  which  the  Southern  Rebellion  and  its  con 
sequences  in  the  United  States,  have  induced  in  Great  Britain, 
scarcely  any  evidence  appears  of  cognizance  and  appreciation 
as  regards  the  simple  geographical  facts  of  the  case ;  without 
a  knowledge  of  which  it  is  impossible  to  perceive  the  scope 
or  judge  the  merits  of  this  question.  Long  ago  Humboldt 
and  other  naturalists  recognized  in  the  fact  that  this  conti 
nent  is  placed  between  two  oceans,  the  provision  and  pledge 
of  a  grand  destiny ;  long  ago  economists  found,  in  the  re 
markable  number,  size,  and  relative  situation  of  its  lakes  and 
rivers,  the  means  established  by  nature  to  bring  together  and 
render  mutually  dependent  and  helpful  the  most  widely  sepa 
rated  regions  ;  long  ago  philanthropists  hailed  in  the  variety 
of  climate  and  the  liberal  political  institutions,  a  vast  asylum 
and  arena  predestined  to  shelter  and  succor  the  independent 
but  proscribed,  and  the  impoverished  and  hopeless  victims  of 
over-populated  and  down-trodden  Europe.  Yet,  when  these 
institutions  and  this  prosperous  nationality  were  threatened 
by  a  minority  in  the  interest  of  African  slavery,  and  the  civil 
war  inevitably  consequent  thereon,  challenged  the  sympathy 
of  the  world,  in  order  to  give  a  plausible  excuse  for  their 
advocacy  of  our  disunion,  the  writers  and  speakers  of  Eng 
land,  with  very  rare  exceptions,  assumed  that  a  geographical 
line  isolated  the  two  communities,  by  kinds  of  labor,  forms 
of  society,  political  and  personal  interests  so  in  conflict,  that  a 
peaceable  separation  was  not  only  practicable,  but  wise,  hu 
mane,  and  requisite.  Had  these  malign  and  specious  advocates 
merely  ignored  the  fact  that  our  power  and  prosperity  have 
been  the  offspring  of  our  union,  it  might  have  been  tolerated 
in  silence  ;  but  when  they  refused  to  acknowledge  that  this  im 
mense  country  *  known  as  the  United  States  of  N^orth  Amer- 

*  Its  greatest  length  is  from  Cape  Cod  to  the  Pacific,  near  lat.  42°,  2,600 
miles;  in  breadth  from  Maine  to  Florida,  1,600  m. ;  there  are  3,303  m.  of 
frontier  toward  British  America,  and  1 ,456  of  that  toward  Mexico ;  on  the 
ocean  the  boundary  line,  including  indentations,  is  12,609  m. ;  the  total  area 
of  the  States  and  Territories  in  1853  was  2,963,606  square  miles. 


ENGLISH   ABUSE   OF   AMERICA.  277 

ica  is  intersected  by  a  mountain  range  inhabited  by  a  people 
absolutely  one  in  attachment  to  their  Government  and  devotion 
to  free  labor,  and  that  the  slave  interest  borders  upon,  inter 
sects,  and  isolates  rather  than  divides  this  homogeneous  and 
patriotic  race,  so  that,  to  break  up  the  political  unity  of  the 
country  is  to  expose  these  citizens  to  the  despotic  cruelty  of 
rebels — to  abandon  the  highest  duty  of  a  state  and  the  noblest 
principle  of  human  government,  we  cannot  but  feel  that  ig 
norance  degrades  or  sophistry  impugns  the  honest  humanity 
of  these  ostensible  interpreters  of  public  opinion  in  Britain. 
To  illustrate  the  practical  bearing  of  geographical  facts  in 
this  instance,  note  the  language  of  an  intelligent  native  *  of 
one  of  the  border  States,  a  kinsman  of  one  of  the  unprin 
cipled  politicians  who  fomented,  when  in  office  under  the  Gov 
ernment  he  betrayed,  this  wicked  rebellion  : 

"  Whoever  will  look  at  a  map  of  the  United  States,  will  observe 
that  Louisiana  lies  on  both  sides  of  the  Mississippi  River,  and  that 
the  States  of  Arkansas  and  Mississippi  lie  on  the  right  and  left  banks 
of  this  great  stream — eight  hundred  miles  of  whose  lower  course  are 
thus  controlled  by  these  three  States,  unitedly  inhabited  by  hardly  as 
many  white  people  as  inhabit  the  city  of  New  York.  Observe,  then, 
the  country  drained  by  this  river,  and  its  affluents,  commencing  with 
Missouri  on  its  west  bank,  and  Kentucky  on  its  east  bank.  There 
are  nine  or  ten  powerful  States,  large  portions  of  three  or  four  oth 
ers,  several  large  Territories — in  all  a  country  as  large  as  all  Europe, 
as  fine  as  any  under  the  sun,  already  holding  many  more  people  than 
all  the  revolted  States,  and  destined  to  be  one  of  the  most  populous 
and  powerful  regions  of  the  earth.  Does  any  one  suppose  that  these 
powerful  States,  this  great  and  energetic  population,  will  ever  make 
a  peace  that  shall  put  the  lower  course  of  this  single  and  mighty  na 
tional  outlet  to*  the  sea  in  the  hands  of  a  foreign  Government  far 
weaker  than  themselves  ?  If  there  is  any  such  person,  he  knows 
little  of  the  past  history  of  mankind ;  nnd  will,  perhaps,  excuse  us 
for  reminding  him  that  the  people  of  Kentucky,  before  they  were 
constituted  a  State,  gave  formal  notice  to  the  Federal  Government, 
when  General  Washington  was  President,  that  if  the  United  States 
did  not  acquire  Louisiana,  they  would  themselves  conquer  it.  The 
mouths  of  the  Mississippi  belong,  by  the  gift  of  God,  to  the  inhab 
itants  of  its  great  valley.  Nothing  but  irresistible  force  can  disin 
herit  them. 

*  Dr.  Breckinridge,  of  Kentucky. 


2T8  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

"  Try  another  territorial  aspect  of  the  case.  There  is  a  bed  of  moun 
tains  abutting  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Ohio,  which  covers  all  Western 
Virginia  and  all  Eastern  Kentucky  to  the  width,  from  east  to  west,  in 
those  two  States,  of  three  or  four  hundred  miles.  These  mountains, 
stretching  southwestwardly,  pass  entirely  through  Tennessee,  cover  the 
back  parts  of  North  Carolina  and  Georgia,  heavily  invade  the  north 
ern  part  of  Alabama,  and  make  a  figure  even  in  the  back  parts  of 
South  Carolina  and  the  eastern  parts  of  Mississippi ;  having  a  course 
of  perhaps  seven  or  eight  hundred  miles,  and  running  far  south  of 
the  northern  limit  of  profitable  cotton  culture.  It  is  a  region  of 
eighty  thousand  square  miles,  trenching  upon  eight  or  nine  Slave 
States,  though  destitute  of  slaves  itself— trenching  upon  at  least  five 
Cotton  States,  though  raising  no  cotton  itself.  The  western  part  of 
Maryland  and  two  thirds  of  Pennsylvania  are  embraced  in  the  north 
eastern  continuation  of  this  remarkable  region.  Can  anything  that 
passes  under  the  name  of  statesmanship  be  more  preposterous,  than 
the  notion  of  permanent  peace  on  this  continent,  founded  on  the 
abnegation  of  a  common  and  paramount  Government,  and  the  idea 
of  the  supercilious  domination  of  the  cotton  interest  and  the  slave 
trade,  over  such  a  mountain  empire,  so  located,  and  so  peopled  ?  " 

When,  in  the  calm  and  kindliness  of  meditation,  we  re 
member  the  solemn  assemblies  of  wise  and  intrepid  English 
men  and  women  who,  two  centuries  and  more  ago,  left  their 
native  shore  with  tears  and  prayers,  only  "  comforted  to  live  " 
by  the  thought  that  they  took  with  them  a  great  principle 
and  a  cherished  faith  to  transplant  and  bequeath  in  another 
hemisphere  ;  when  we  recall  the  proud  and  fond  associations 
with  which  their  descendants  sought  and  yet  seek  the  ances 
tral  homes  and  graves  of  these  brave  and  holy  exiles ;  and 
how  tenderly  the  traditions,  the  literature,  the  laws,  and  the 
liberties  of  the  Old  World  have  been  cherished  by  the  en 
lightened  and  earnest  natives  of  the  New  ;  how  the  kings  of 
thought  and  the  heralds  of  freedom  regarded  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  settlements  in  America,  when  persecution  and  strife 
made  England  to  many  a  perilous  sojourn ;  how  eagerly  John 
Milton  questioned  Roger  Williams ;  how  ardently  Berkeley 
appealed  to  Walpole  ;  what  Vane  and  Penn,  Calvert,  Win- 
throp,  Puritan,  Churchman,  Quaker,  Catholic,  Huguenot, 
thought,  felt,  wrote,  and  did  to  colonize  what  to  all  of  them 


ENGLISH   ABUSE   OF  AMEEICA.  279 

was  a  land  of  promise  ;  and  how,  during  the  long  lapse  of 
time,  the  civilization  that  originated  when  the  world  had 
reached  a  period  of  glorious  development,  has  ever  responded 
to  and  often  quickened  that  of  older  date  but  identical 
character,  like  the  "child  of  Earth's  old  age"  as  she  is — it 
seems  incredible  that  disdain  and  indifference,  especially  in  a 
crisis  of  national  life,  should  mark  and  mar  nearly  all  public 
expression  in  England  regarding  a  country  thus  morally 
assimilated  and  historically  identified  with  her.  Not  strange, 
indeed,  that  traders  and  shallow  egotists  should  ignore  or 
sneer  at  a  nation  of  kindred  language  and  memories ;  but 
strange  that  legislators  and  writers,  who  profess  to  instruct, 
should  prove  their  want  of  interest  by  gross  ignorance,  his 
torical  and  geographical.  How  perversely  blind  have  they 
shown  themselves  to  the  facts  that  the  experiment  of  State 
sovereignty  has  been  fully  tried  during  the  perilous  interval 
between  the  acknowledgment  of  our  independence  and  the 
adoption  of  the  Constitution,  whereby  industry  was  par 
alyzed,  fiscal  and  social  confidence  lost,  and  advantage  taken 
of  the  weakness  of  the  isolated  fragments  of  a  nation  by 
foreign  powers ;  that  federal  union,  from  all  this  chaos  and 
imbecility,  created  and  confirmed  a  nation  whose  growth, 
freedom,  and  self-reliant  resources  are  unparalleled ;  that  so 
essential,  by  the  laws  of  nature,  is  one  section  to  the  pros 
perity  of  the  other,  that  the  chief  motive  and  absolute  con 
dition  whereby  the  new  Southwestern  States  indissolubly 
linked  their  destiny  and  allegiance  to  the  old  thirteen,  were 
that  the  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  should  be  perma 
nently  guaranteed — that  noble  stream,  like  a  main  artery, 
vitally  connecting  the  heart  with  the  extremities  of  the  body 
politic ;  that  what  the  practical  effect  is  of  a  faction,  how 
ever  large,  undertaking  illegitimate  opposition  to  a  Govern 
ment  based  upon  popular  will,  was  memorably  illustrated  by 
Shay's  Rebellion  in  Massachusetts  in  1785-'86  ;  by  the  career 
of  Citizen  Genet  in  '93 — his  wild  and  anomalous  partisan 
success,  and  his  ignominious  practical  failure ;  by  the  Vir 
ginia  Resolutions  of  '85  and  '86,  by  the  base  and  futile  con- 


280  AMERICA  AND   HER  COMMENTATORS. 

spiracy  of  Burr,  and  the  prompt  overthrow  of  Calhoun's 
sophistical  theories.  Equally  blind  to  the  present  as  the  past, 
the  fraud  and  coercion  whereby  the  present  Rebellion  was 
initiated,  the  inhuman  cause  for  which  it  was  undertaken,  the 
despotic  violence  resorted  to  for  its  maintenance,  the  latent 
barbarism  made  patent  by  its  career,  were  all,  from  base  pol 
icy  or  selfish  malice,  studiously  kept  out  of  view  by  these 
ostensible  interpreters  of  public  opinion.  It  is,  indeed,  one 
of  those  singular  exhibitions  of  the  blindness  induced  by  self- 
love,  that  vituperation  should  mark  the  press  of  England  in 
discussing  American  institutions,  when  often,  in  the  identical 
sheet,  glares  the  evidence  of  her  own  inadequacy  in  pro 
viding  for  the  masses.  It  is  a  striking  coincidence,  that, 
when  an  American  banker  *  in  London  desired  to  indicate  his 
interest  in  and  gratitude  to  the  country  where  he  had  ac 
quired  a  colossal  fortune,  the  best  method  his  sagacious  obser 
vation  could  discover,  was  to  provide  homes  for  the  working 
classes,  whose  physical  degeneracy  is  thus  noted  in  a  recent 
issue  of  the  most  widely  circulated  and  implicitly  trusted 
organ  of  British  opinion  : 

"  We  have  only  to  take  a  walk  through  any  of  our  populous  quar 
ters— Shoreditch,  Bethnal  Green,  the  Borough,  Lambeth,  all  the 
river  side,  Clerkenwell,  Gray's  Inn  Lane,  and  those  numerous  smaller 
districts  of  which  the  working  classes,  for  one  reason  or  another, 

*  "  When  Mr.  Peabody,  the  celebrated  American  banker,  who  is  about  to 
quit  this  country,  first  heard  of  the  national  memorial  of  the  late  Prince  Con 
sort,  he  authorized  Sir  Emerson  Tennent  to  state  that,  should  that  memorial 
be  a  charitable  institution,  he  would  give  £100,000  toward  it ;  and  his  dis 
appointment  was  great  on  learning  that  the  money  would  not  be  expended  in 
that  way.  However  Mr.  Peabody,  still  resolved  on  carrying  out  his  charitable 
scheme — as  a  token,  he  says,  of  gratitude  to  the  English  nation,  for  the  many 
kind  acts  he  has  received  from  them,  and  also  in  memory  of  his  long  and 
prosperous  career  in  this  country — has  decided  on  erecting  a  number  of  houses 
for  the  working  class,  who,  through  the  innumerable  improvements  in  the 
metropolis,  have  been  rendered  almost  homeless.  For  this  purpose  he  gives 
£100,000,  and  also  undertakes  to  pay  the  first  year's  interest  of  the  money — 
£5,000.  Sir  Emerson  Tennent  is  appointed  one  of  three  trustees  ;  Lord  Stan 
ley,  M.  P.,  it  is  hoped,  will  be  the  second ;  the  third  has  not  yet  been  nomi 
nated." — London  Paper. 


ENGLISH  ABUSE  OF  AMERICA.  281 

have  obtained  inalienable  possession ;  take  them  at  the  hours  when 
they  show — going  to  their  work  or  returning  from  it,  or  making 
their  purchases,  or  cooling  themselves  in  the  open  air :  look  at  them, 
and  please  remember,  that  when  you  have  deducted  half  a  million 
people  rather  better  off,  there  remain  two  millions  of  the  sort  you 
see  before  you." 

It  would  prove,  indeed,  a  more  ungracious  than  difficult 
task  to  enumerate  social  anomalies  and  characteristic  defects, 
quite  adequate  to  counterbalance,  in  English  civilization,  those 
so  constantly  proclaimed  as  American.  Deans  and  poachers, 
snobs  and  weavers,  sempstresses  and  governesses,  convicts, 
pretended  lunatics,  might  figure  as  unchristian  monopolists  or 
pitiable  victims ;  and  poor  laws,  costly  and  useless  govern 
mental  arrangements,  the  ravages  of  gin  and  beer,  the  press 
ure  of  taxation,  the  inhumanity  of  rank  and  fashion,  the 
cold  egotism  of  the  social  code,  the  material  routine  of  life, 
the  absurd  conventionalities,  the  servility  of  one  class  and 
the  arrogance  of  another,  the  law  of  primogeniture,  ecclesi 
astical  abuses,  the  hopeless  degradation  of  labor,  and  numer 
ous  kindred  facts  and  figures  in  the  economical  and  social  sta 
tistics  of  the  British  realm,  not  only  offer  ample  range  for 
relentless  and  plausible  defamation,  akin  to  that  which  has 
been  so  bitterly  indulged  by  English  writers  on  America ; 
but  the  indictment  would  be  confirmed  by  the  testimony  of 
popular  and  current  English  literature — Crabbe,  Hood,  Dick 
ens,  Mrs.  Gaskell,  Reade,  and  Thackeray  having  elaborated 
from  patent  social  wrongs  their  most  vivid  pictures  of  human 
suffering  and  degradation. 

Nor,  were  the  test  applied  to  specific  traits,  would  the 
comparison  be  less  disadvantageous.  The  vulgarity  and  bru 
tality  of  an  Englishman,  when  he  is  vulgar  and  brutal,  are 
unparalleled.  The  stolidity  of  their  lower  class  is  more  re 
volting  than  the  inquisitiveness  of  ours.  The  history  of 
England's  criminal  code,  of  her  literary  criticism,  of  her 
artists  and  authors,  of  her  colonial  rule,  of  her  aristocratic 
privileges,  of  her  army,  naval,  and  merchant  service,  has  fur 
nished  some  of  the  darkest  pictures  of  cruelty,  neglect,  self- 


282  AMEEICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATOKS. 

ishness,  and  abuse  of  power  to  be  found  in  the  annals  of  the 
world. 

The  favorite  subject  of  Punch — the  trials  of  an  "  un 
protected  female  " — betrays  a  national  trait  in  brutal  contrast 
with  the  habits  and  sentiments  of  the  kindred  people  whose 
"  domestic  manners  "  have  so  long  been  the  subject  of  their 
sneers.  "  Not  a  day  passes,"  remarks  an  English  lady  of 
intelligence  and  character,  but  without  rank  or  wealth,  in 
writing  to  an  American  friend,  "  but  I  regret  that  paradise 
of  my  sex — your  country.  There  my  womanhood  alone  was 
my  safeguard  and  distinction." 

Centuries  ago,  the  very  "  land  question  "  which  led  to  the 
recent  controversy  whereby  the  Times  was  unmasked,  offered 
the  same  ominous  problem  to  humane  and  liberal  English 
men,  and  was,  to  not  a  few,  the  motive  of  emigration  to 
America. 

"  This  land  growes  weary  of  her  inhabitants."  writes 
Winthrop,  "  soe  as  man,  whoe  is  the  most  pretious  of  all  crea 
tures,  is  here  more  vile  and  base  than  the  earth  we  treade 
upon.  All  townes  complaine  of  the  burthen  of  theire  poore, 
and  we  use  the  authoritie  of  the  Law  to  hinder  the  increase 
of  or  people  by  urginge  the  statute  against  colleges  and  in 
mates.  The  fountaines  of  Learning  and  Religion  are  soe 
corrupt  as  (besides  the  insupportable  charge  of  theire  educa 
tion)  most  children  are  perverted.  Why,  then,  should  we 
stand  striving  here  for  places  of  habitation,  many  men  spend 
ing  as  much  labour  and  coste  to  recover  or  keepe  sometimes 
an  acre  or  twoe  as  would  procure  them  many  and  as  good  or 
better  in  another  Countrie."  * 

Compare  this  ancient  statement  with  one  in  a  journal  of 
this  year : 

"  In  the  main,  landed  property  is  still  in  the  same  condition  in 
England  to-day  as  it  was  immediately  after  the  Norman  conquest. 
The  foreign  invaders  at  that  time  divided  the  land  among  a  small 
number  of  nobles  and  brigand  captains  with  the  point  of  the  sword  ; 

*  "  Reasons  for  the  Intended  Plantation  in  New  England,"  by  John 
Winthrop,  1629.  Life  of  John  Winthrop,  by  Robert  C.  Winthrop.. 


ENGLISH   ABUSE   OF   AMERICA.  283 

and  in  the  Doomsday  Book  it  was  then  laid  down  that  their  right  to 
the  possession  of  these  lands  was  as  high  as  heaven  and  as  deep  as 
hell,  and  that  the  hand  of  him  should  wither  who  would  dare  to 
touch  it.  In  course  of  time  a  number  of  free  proprietors  crept  in 
between  the  landholding  aristocracy ;  but  subsequent  parliamentary 
acts,  known  as  the  'Enclosure  Acts,'  restricted  once  more  the  num 
ber  of  free  proprietors  by  forcible  expropriation.  With  the  excep 
tion  of  a  few  localities,  England  possesses  no  peasantry  in  the  sense 
of  France  and  of  Southern  and  "Western  Germany.  There  is  only 
the  aristocratic  proprietor,  the  steward,  or  the  farming  tenant  and 
the  laborer.  The  condition  of  the  laborer  is  worse  than  anywhere 
in  Central  or  Western  Europe.  The  political  power  British  feudal 
ism  wields  is  immense.  A  statistical  table  shows  that,  with  regard 
to  the  representation  of  the  people  in  the  so-called  House  of  Com 
mons,  there  are  about  thirty  popular  constituencies ;  one  hundred 
constituencies  slightly  influenced  by  personal  or  family  control,  and 
most  of  them  by  money  ;  two  hundred  and  forty  constituencies  almost 
wholly  under  such  family  and  aristocratic  influence  ;  and  thirty  con 
stituencies  which  may  be  regarded  as  mere  family  property." 

With  such  social  and  political  evils — a  portentous  report 
whereof,  in  their  actual  results  upon  labor  and  life,  may  be 
found  in  the  work  of  Mr.  Kay,*  lately  published — emigration 
to  America  has  been  and  is  a  resource  to  Great  Britain  which 
should  have  engendered  gratitude  instead  of  growls.  An 
acute  French  writer  attributes  to  it  no  small  degree  of  Eng 
land's  prosperity : 

"  Let  others  denounce,  if  they  will,  as  culpable  want  of  foresight, 
the  energetic  multiplication  of  the  English  people,  and  felicitate 
France  on  being  preserved  from  this  misfortune  by  the  demi-sterility 
of  marriages ;  but,  for  my  part,  faithful  to  the  ancient  morality  and 
patriotism  which  regarded  a  numerous  posterity  as  a  blessing  from 
God,  I  point  out  this  exhaustion  of  vital  sap  as  a  symptom  of  malady 
and  decline.  I  see  the  people  who  emigrate  redouble  efforts  to  fill 
up  voids,  redouble  virtues,  savings,  and  labor  to  prepare  departures 
and  new  establishments.  Among  a  people  who  do  not  emigrate,  I 
see  wealth  disbursed  in  the  superfluities  of  vain  luxury ;  young  men 
idle,  without  horizons,  and  without  lofty  ambition,  consuming  thern- 

*  "  The  Social  Condition  and  Education  of  the  People  in  England,"  by 
Joseph  Kay,  Esq.,  M.  A.,  of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  Barrister-at-Law, 
and  late  Travelling  Bachelor  of  the  University  of  Cambridge,  12mo.,  New 
York,  1863. 


284:  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

selves  in  frivolous  pleasures  and  petty  calculations ;  and  families 
alarmed  at  a  fecundity  which  would  impose  on  them  modest  and  la 
borious  habits.  Like  stagnant  waters,  stagnant  populations  become 
corrupt.  Moved  by  this  spectacle,  I  should  dread  for  the  sedentary 
race  an  early  degradation,  if  this  inequality  revealed  a  decree  of 
Providence,  instead  of  being  a  fault  of  man."  * 

If  from  the  graver  interests  we  turn  to  the  superficial 
traits  of  the  English  people,  it  requires  little  acumen  to  dis 
cover  materials  for  ridicule  quite  as  patent  and  provocative 
of  satire  as  the  "  domestic  manners  of  the  Americans  "  yield. 
Leach  and  Doyle  have  long  since  stereotyped  for  the  public, 
certain  traits  of  physiognomy,  costume,  and  manners,  some 
what  monotonous,  certainly,  but  quite  as  absurd  and  vulgar 
as  any  so-called  American,  characteristic  and  popularly  recog 
nized  as  such.  The  pronunciation,  snobbishness,  egotism, 
bad  taste,  stolidity,  and  arrogance  of  different  classes  are 
thus  caricatured.  Deference  to  wealth  and  rank,  perverse 
adherence  to  obsolete  and  unjust  as  well  as  irrational  systems, 
habits,  and  opinions,  in  England,  are  the  staple  themes  of 
satirical  novelists,  eloquent  liberals,  and  comic  draughtsmen  ; 
while  the  "English  abroad"  furnish  a  permanent  subject  of 
ridicule  to  their  more  vivacious  neighbors,  and  figure  habitu 
ally  in  French  farces  and  after-dinner  anecdotes.  But  this 
mode  of  discussing  national  character  is  not  less  unworthy  a 
philosopher  than  a  Christian ;  it  is  essentially  one-sided,  preju 
diced,  and  inhuman.  Yet  it  is  worth  while  to  suggest  the 
recognized  vulnerable  points  of  English  life,  manners,  and 
institutions,  that  it  may  be  seen  how  easily  their  reproach  and 
ridicule  of  Americans  can  be  retaliated. 

But  we  do  not  cite  such  national  defects  and  misfortunes 
in  the  spirit  of  retaliation,  but  simply  to  indicate  how  unjust 
and  uncharitable  it  is  to  regard  a  country  or  a  people  exclu 
sively  in  the  light  of  reproach  and  animadversion,  and  how 
universal  is  that  law  of  compensation  whereby  good  and  evil 
in  every  land  are  balanced  in  the  scale  of  Divine  wisdom.  It 

*  "  Histoire  de  1'Emigration  au  XIXe  Siecle,  par  M.  Jules  Duval,"  Paris, 
1863. 


ENGLISH  ABUSE   OF   AMERICA.  285 

is  indeed  a  remarkable  evidence  of  inconsistent  and  perverse 
feeling,  that  a  course  which  no  man  of  sense  and  common 
humanity  would  think  of  applying  to  an  individual,  is  confi 
dently  adopted  in  the  discussion  of  national  character  and 
destiny.  That  allowance  which  the  mature  in  years  instinct 
ively  make  for  the  errors  of  youth — the  compassion  which 
tempers  judgment  in  regard  to  the  indigence,  the  ignorance, 
or  the  blind  passions  of  the  outcast  or  the  criminal,  is 
ignored  when  the  faults  or  the  calamities  of  a  whole  people 
are  described.  Yet  such  a  fearful  exposition  of  "  London 
Labor  and  London  Poor,"  which  Mayhew  has  made  familiar, 
should  excite  only  emotions  of  shame  and  pity  in  the  Chris 
tian  heart.  But  the  hardihood  that  so  long  coldly  admitted 
or  wantonly  sneered  at  the  wrongs  of  Ireland  and  Italy,  gives 
a  bitter  edge  or  a  narrow  comprehension  to  the  class  of  Eng 
lish  writers  on  America  w^e  have,  perhaps  too  patiently,  dis 
cussed. 

The  simple  truth  is,  that  there  is  scarcely  a  vulnerable 
point  in  our  system,  social,  political,  or  religious,  but  has 
its  counterpart  in  the  mother  country.  For  every  solecism 
in  manners  or  inhuman  inconsistency  in  practice,  growing 
out  of  democratic  radicalism  on  this  side  of  the  water,  a 
corresponding  defect  or  incongruity  is  obvious  in  the  eccle 
siastical  or  aristocratic  monopolies  and  abuses  on  the  other. 
For  our  well-fed  African  slaves,  they  have  half-starved  white 
operatives  ;  for  the  tyranny  of  demagogues  here,  there  is  the 
bloated  rule  of  duke  and  bishop  there ;  for  the  degraded 
squatter  life  in  regions  of  whiskey  drinking  and  ague  in 
America,  there  is  the  not  less  sad  fate  of  the  miner  and 
the  poacher  in  the  heart  of  civilized  England ;  and  there  is 
reason  to  believe  that,  if  a  philosophical  collector  of  the  data 
of  suicides,  railway  catastrophes,  and  financial  swindlers,  were 
to  be  equally  assiduous  in  the  United  States  and  Great  Bri 
tain,  the  figures,  in  the  ratio  of  space,  time,  and  population, 
would  be  nearly  parallel.  Even  the  philological  blunders  and 
absurdities  over  which  cockney  travellers  here  have  been  so 
merry,  may  be  equalled  in  many  a  district  of  England ;  and 


286  AMERICA  AND   HER  COMMENTATORS. 

if  the  classic  names  applied  to  new  towns  on  this  continent 
savor  of  tasteless  pedantry,  a  similar  lack  of  a  sense  of  the 
appropriate  stares  us  in  the  face  in  the  names  of  villas  in  the 
suburbs  of  London ;  while  the  same  repetition  and  conse 
quent  confusion  of  names  of  places  occur  in  English  shires  as 
in  our  States. 

Language  has  been  one  of  the  most  prolific  sources  of 
ridicule  and  animadversion ;  especially  those  peculiarities  of 
tone  and  speech  supposed  to  belong  exclusively  to  the  East 
ern  States,  and  popularly  designated  as  Yankeeisms.  Yet  it 
has  been  made  obvious  at  last,  that,  instead  of  being  indige 
nous,  these  oddities  of  speech,  with  very  few  exceptions, 
were  brought  from  England,  and  are  still  current  in  the  locali 
ties  of  their  origin.  In  the  preface  to  his  "  Dictionary  of 
Americanisms,"  Mr.  Bartlett  tells  us  that,  after  having  col 
lected,  he  imposed  upon  himself  the  task  of  tracing  to  their 
source  these  exceptional  words,  phrases,  and  accents.  "  On 
comparing  these  familiar  words,"  he  writes,  "  with  the  pro 
vincial  and  colloquial  language  of  the  northern  counties  of 
England,  a  most  striking  resemblance  appeared,  not  only  in 
the  words  commonly  regarded  as  peculiar  to  New  England, 
but  in  the  dialectical  pronunciation  of  certain  words,  and  in 
the  general  tone  and  accent.  In  fact,  it  may  be  said  without 
exaggeration,  that  nine  tenths  of  the  colloquial  peculiarities 
of  "New  England  are  derived  directly  from  Great  Britain ; 
and  they  are  now  provincial  in  those  parts  from  which  the 
early  colonists  emigrated,  or  are  to  be  found  in  the  writings 
of  well-accredited  authors  of  the  period  when  that  emigra 
tion  took  place." 

Neither  has  the  long-standing  reproach  of  a  lack  of  liter 
ary  cultivation  and  achievement  present  significance.  Syd 
ney  Smith's  famous  query  in  the  Edinburgh  Review,  "  Who 
reads  an  American  book  ?  "  is  as  irrelevant  and  impertinent 
to-day  as  the  other  famous  dictum  of  Jeffrey  in  regard  to 
Wordsworth's  poetry — "  This  will  never  do."  In  history, 
poetry,  science,  criticism,  biography,  political  and  ethical  dis 
cussions,  the  records  of  travels,  of  taste,  and  of  romance, 


ENGLISH   ABUSE   OF   AMERICA.  287 

universally  recognized  and  standard  exemplars,  of  American 
origin,  now  illustrate  the  genius  and  culture  of  the  nation. 

In  thus  referring  the  liberal  and  philosophical  inquirer, 
who  desires  to  comprehend  the  character,  destinies,  and  his 
tory  of  the  United  States,  and  thence  infer  the  relation  of 
and  duty  to  them  on  the  part  of  Europe,  to  the  several  de 
partments  of  literature  which  bear  the  impress  of  the 
national  mind,  another  form  of  prejudice  and  phase  of  injus 
tice  habitual  with  British  writers  inevitably  suggest  them 
selves.  Fifty  years  ago,  American  literature  was  declared  by 
them  beneath  contempt ;  but  as  soon  as  leisure  and  encourage 
ment  stimulated  the  educated  and  the  gifted  natives  of  the  soil 
to  enter  upon  the  career  of  authorship ;  when  the  literary 
products  of  the  country  attained  a  degree  of  merit  that 
could  not  be  ignored,  these  same  critics  objected  that  Ameri 
can  literature  was  unoriginal — only  a  new  instalment  of  Eng 
lish  ;  that  Irving  reproduced  the  manner  of  the  writers  of 
Queen  Anne's  day  ;  that  Cooper's  novels  were  imitated  from 
those  of  Scott ;  that  Brockden  Brown  plagiarized  from  God 
win,  Hoffman  from  Moore,  Holmes  from  Sterne,  Sprague 
from  Pope  ;  and,  in  short,  that,  because  Americans  made  use 
of  good  English,  standard  forms  of  verse,  and  familiar  con 
struction  in  narrative,  they  had  no  claim  to  a  national  litera 
ture.  It  seems  a  waste  of  time  and  words  to  confute  such 
puerile  reasoning.  If  the  number  of  English  authors  who  have 
written  popular  books  in  any  and  all  of  the  British  colonies, 
should  have  their  literary  merits  questioned  on  the  ground 
that  these  works,  although  composed  and  published  in  the 
vernacular,  were  not  actually  conceived  and  written  in  Lon 
don,  the  absurd  objection  would  be  deemed  too  ridiculous  to 
merit  notice.  Not  only  the  language,  but  the  culture  ;  not 
only  the  political  traditions,  but  the  standards  of  taste,  the 
religious  and  social  education,  the  literary  associations,  the 
whole  mental  resource  and  discipline  of  an  educated  Ameri 
can,  are  analogous  to  or  identical  with  those  of  England; 
but,  as  a  people,  the  statistics  of  the  book  trade  and  the 
facts  of  individual  culture  prove  that  the  master  minds  of 


288  AMERICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

British  literature  more  directly  and  universally  train  and  nur 
ture  the  American  than  the  English  mind.  Partly  from  that 
distance  that  lends  enchantment,  and  partly  from  the  vast 
number  of  readers  produced  by  our  system  of  popular  edu 
cation,  Shakspeare  and  Milton,  Bacon  and  Wordsworth,  Byron 
and  Scott  have  been  and  are  more  generally  known,  appre 
ciated,  and  loved,  and  have  entered  more  deeply  into  the 
average  intellectual  life,  on  this  than  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Atlantic;  and  the  best  thinkers,  the  most  refined  poets  of 
Great  Britain  in  our  own  day,  find  here  a  larger  and  more 
enthusiastic  audience  than  they  do  at  home.  Accordingly, 
until  the  laws  of  mind  are  reversed,  there  is  no  reason  to 
expect  any  different  manifestation  of  literature,  as  far  as 
form,  style,  and  conventional  rules  are  concerned,  here  than 
there.  The  subjects,  the  scenery,  the  characters,  the  opinions 
of  our  historians,  poets,  novelists,  and  essayists,  are  as  diverse 
from  those  of  British  writers  as  the  respective  countries. 
Cooper's  local  coloring,  his  chief  personages,  the  scope  and 
flavor  of  his  romances,  are  as  unlike  those  of  Scott  as  are  the 
North  American  Indians  from  Highlanders,  and  Lake  Onta 
rio  from  Loch  Leven.  The  details  of  Bryant's  forest  pic 
tures  are  full  of  special  traits  of  which  there  is  not  a  trace  in 
Thomson  or  Burns.  The  author  of  "Caleb  Williams"  ac 
knowledged  his  obligations  to  the  author  of  "  Weiland  "  and 
"  Arthur  Mervyn."  There  are  pages  of  the  "  Sketch  Book  " 
and  "  Bracebridge  Hall  "  which  Addison  might  have  written, 
for  their  subjects  are  English  life  and  scenes  ;  but  when  the 
same  graceful  pen  expatiates,  with  rich  humor,  among  the 
legends  of  the  Hudson  or  Dutch  dynasties  in  New  York, 
describes  the  prairies  or  colonial  times  in  Virginia,  except  in 
the  words  used,  there  is  not  the  slightest  resemblance  in  sub 
ject,  tone,  impression,  or  feeling  to  the  "  Spectator."  Why 
should  Motley  write  otherwise  than  Hallam,  Prescott  than 
Macaulay,  Emerson  than  Carlyle,  Channing  than  Arnold, 
Hawthorne  than  Kingsley,  as  regards  the  technical  use  of  a 
language  common  to  them  all,  and  a  culture  identical  in  its 
normal  elements  ?  All  the  individuality  to  be  looked  for  is 


ENGLISH   ABUSE   OF   AMEEICA.  289 

in  the  treatment  of  their  several  subjects,  in  the  style  inci 
dent  to  their  respective  temperaments  and  characters,  and  in 
the  literary  genius  with  which  they  are  severally  endowed. 
Yet,  if  it  were  desirable  to  vindicate  the  American  quality  as 
a  distinction  of  these  and  other  approved  authors,  it  would 
be  an  easy  task  to  indicate  a  freedom  and  freshness,  an  inde 
pendence  and  humanity,  so  characteristic  as  to  prove  singu 
larly  attractive  to  foreign  readers,  and  to  be  recognized  by 
high  continental  criticism  as  national. 

The  mercenary  spirit  so  continually  ascribed  to  our  civili 
zation  by  English  writers,  long  before  was  the  habitual  re 
proach  cast  on  their  own  by  continental  critics.  Thrift  is  a 
Saxon  trait,  and  the  "  nation  of  shopkeepers  "  cannot  appro 
priately  thus  make  the  love  of  or  deference  to  money  our 
exclusive  or  special  weakness ;  whereas  the  extreme  and 
appalling  diversity  of  condition  in  England,  the  juxtaposition 
of  the  duke  and  the  drudge,  the  pampered  bishop  and  the 
starving  curate,  the  magnificent  park  and  the  malarious  hovel, 
the  luxurious  peer  and  the  squalid  operative,  bring  into  such 
melancholy  relief  the  sharp  and  bitter  inequalities  of  human 
lives  and  human  creatures,  that  not  all  the  latent  and  obvious 
resources,  energy,  self-reliance,  and  power  which  so  beguiled 
the  wonder  and  love  of  Emerson  in  the  aspect  of  England 
and  Englishmen  in  their  prosperous  phase,  can  reconcile  that 
social  atmosphere  to  the  large,  warm,  sensitive  heart  of  an 
unselfish,  sympathetic,  Christian  man.  Clubs  and  races, 
cathedrals  and  royal  drawing  rooms,  the  freshness  of  rural 
and  the  luxury  of  metropolitan  life,  Parliament  and  the 
Times — all  the  elements,  routine,  substantial  bases  and  super 
ficial  aspects  of  England  and  the  English,  however  adequate 
to  the  insular  egotism,  and  however  barricaded  by  prejudice, 
pride,  and  indifference,  do  not  harmonize,  to  the  clear,  humane 
gaze  of  soulful  eyes,  with  what  underlies  and  overshadows 
this  stereotyped  programme  and  partial  significance.  We 
hear  the  "  cry  of  the  human  "  that  rang  so  drearily  in  the  ear 
of  the  noblest  woman  and  poet  of  the  age  : 
13 


290  AMERICA  AND   HEK   COMMENTATORS. 

"  I  am  listening  b.ere  in  Eome  ; 

Over  Alps  a  voice  is  sweeping  : 
'  England's  cruel !     Save  us  some 

Of  these  victims  in  her  keeping.'  " 

'-Let  others  shout, 

Other  poets  praise  my  land  here  ; 
I  am  sadly  setting  out, 

Praying,  '  God  forgive  her  grandeur  !  '  " 

Nor  less  authoritative  is  the  same  earnest  and  truth- 
inspired  voice,  in  its  protest  against  the  inhumanity  that 
ignores  or  wilfully  repudiates  the  claims  of  other  nations : 

"  I  confess  that  I  dream  of  the  day  when  an  English  statesman 
shall  arise  with  a  heart  too  large  for  England,  having  courage,  in  the 
face  of  his  countrymen,  to  assert  of  some  suggestive  policy,  '  This  is 
good  for  your  trade ;  this  is  necessary  for  your  domination :  hut  it 
will  vex  a  people  hard  hy ;  it  will  hurt  a  people  farther  off;  it  will 
profit  nothing  to  the  general  humanity  ;  therefore  away  with  it !  It 
is  not  for  you  or  me.'  When  a  British  minister  dares  so  to  speak, 
and  when  a  British  public  applauds  him  speaking,  then  shall  the 
nation  be  so  glorious,  that  her  praise,  instead  of  exploding  from 
within,  from  loud  civic  mouths,  shall  come  to  her  from  without,  as  all 
worthy  praise  must,  from  the  alliances  she  has  fostered,  and  from 
the  populations  she  has  saved."  * 

Voltaire  compared  the  English  to  beer — '•  the  bottom 
dregs,  the  top  froth,  and  the  middle  excellent."  The  first 
arid  last  class,  for  a  considerable  period,  alone  reported  us  ; 
low  abuse  and  superficial  sneers  being  their  legitimate  expres 
sion,  and  an  inability  to  understand  a  people,  sympathize  with 
an  unaccustomed  life,  or  rise  above  selfish  considerations, 
their  normal  defects ;  whereof  the  last  three  years  have 
given  memorable  proof. 

'  Instead  of  the  vague  title  of  Annus  Mirabilis  which 
Dryden  bestowed  upon  a  memorable  year  in  English  history, 
these  might  more  appropriately  be  called,  as  far  as  our  coun 
try  is  concerned,  the  Test  Years.  Not  only  have  they  proved 
the  patriotism,  the  resources,  and  the  character  of  the  people 

*  Elizabeth  Browning. 


ENGLISH   ABUSE   OF  AMERICA.  291 

and  their  institutions,  but  they  have  applied  specific  tests,  the 
result  of  which  has  been  essentially  to  modify  the  convictions 
and  sentiments  of  individuals.  Any  thinking  man  who  will 
review  his  opinions,  cannot  fail  to  be  astonished  at  the 
changes  in  his  estimate  of  certain  persons  and  things,  which 
have  taken  place  since  the  war  for  the  Union  began.  Thou 
sands,  for  instance,  who  entertained  a  certain  reverence  for  the 
leading  British  journal,  simply  as  such,  without  any  familiar 
ity  therewith,  haying  become  acquainted  with  the  Times  in 
consequence  of  its  gratuitous  discussion  of  our  national 
affairs,  and  perceiving  its  disingenuous,  perverse,  inimical 
spirit  toward  their  country  in  the  hour  of  calamity ;  and,  of 
their  own  personal  knowledge,  proving  its  wanton  falsehoods, 
have  been  enlightened  so  fully,  that  henceforth  the  mechani 
cal  resources  and  intellectual  appliances  of  that  famous  news 
paper  weigh  as  nothing  against  the  infamy  that  attends  a  dis 
covered  quack.* 

In  countless  hearts  and  minds  on  this  continent,  pleasant 
and  fond  illusions  in  regard  to  English  character,  govern 
ment,  and  sentiment  are  forever  dispelled,  first  by  the  injus 
tice  of  the  official,  and  then  by  the  uncandid  and  inimical 
tone  of  the  literary  organs  of  the  British  people.  There  lies 
before  us,  as  we  write,  a  private  letter  from  an  American 
scholar  and  gentleman,  who,  on  the  score  of  lineage  as  well 
as  culture  and  character,  claims  respect  for  his  deliberate 
views.  What  he  says  in  the  frank  confidence  of  private 
correspondence,  indicates,  without  exaggeration,  the  change 
which  has  come  over  the  noblest  in  the  land  :  '  Let  John  Bull 
beware.  War  or  no  war,  he  has  made  an  enduring  enemy 
of  us.  I  am  startled  to  hear  myself  say  this,  but  England  is 
henceforth  to  me  only  historical — the  home  of  our  Shak- 

*  Cobden  thus  characterizes  the  Times  with  reference  to  its  treatment  of 
a  home  question  and  native  statesmen :  "  Here  we  have,  in  a  compendious 
form,  an  exhibition  of  those  qualities  of  mind  which  characterize  the  editorial 
management  of  the  Times — of  that  arrogant  self-complacency,  that  logical  in 
coherence,  and  that  moral  bewilderment  which  a  too  long  career  of  'impunity 
and  irresponsibility  could  alone  engender." 


292  AMERICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

speare,  and  Milton,  and  Wordsworth ;  for  all  her  best  writers 
are  ours  by  necessity  and  privilege  of  language :  but  farewell 
the  especial  sympathy  I  have  felt  in  her  political,  social,  and 
total  well-being.  With  her  present  exhibition  and  promulga 
tion  of  jealousy  and  selfishness  and  heartlessness  and  ungen- 
tlemanly  meanness,  she  has  cut  me  loose  from  the  sweet  and 
cordial  and  reverent  ties  that  have  kept  her  so  long  to  me  a 
second  fatherland.' ' 


CHAPTEE   VIII. 

NORTHERN  EUROPEAN  WRITERS. 

KALM  ;  MISS  BREMER  ;  GUROWSKI,  AND  OTHERS  ;  GERMAN  WRITERS  : 
HUMBOLDT;  SAXE  WEIMAR;  VON  RAUMER;  PRINCE  MAXIMILIAN 
VON  WEID  ;  LIEBER  ;  SCHULTZ ;  OTHER  GERMAN  WRITERS  I 
GRUND  ;  RUPPIUS  ;  SEATSFIELD  ;  KOHL  ;  TALVI ;  SCHAFF. 

IN  the  North  of  Europe,  since  the  beginning  of  the  pres 
ent  century,  French  literature  has  been  the  chief  medium  of 
current  information  in  regard  to  the  rest  of  the  world. 
Within  the  last  twenty  years  the  English  language  has  be 
come  a  fashionable  accomplishment ;  and,  with  the  wonderful 
development  of  German  literature,  books  of  science  and 
travel,  in  that  language,  have  furnished  the  other  northern 
races  with  no  small  part  of  their  ideas  about  America.  In 
Russia,  Sweden,  and  Denmark,  many  of  our  best  authors 
have  been  translated ;  and  the  Journal  de  St.  Petersbourg, 
L'Abeille  du  Nord,  Vedemosti  (Bedemoctii),  during  the  civil 
war,  have,  by  the  accuracy  of  their  facts  and  the  justness  of 
their  reasoning,  evidenced  a  remarkably  clear  understanding 
of  the  struggle,  its  origin,  aim,  and  consequences.  A  pleas 
ant  book  of  "  Impressions "  during  a  tour  in  the  United 
States,  by  Lakieren,  a  Russian,  was  published  in  that  lan 
guage  in  1859;  and  a  Swedish  writer — Siljestroem  * — gave 

*  "  The  Educational  Institutions  of  the  United  States,  their  Character  and 
Organization,"  translated  from  the  Swedish  by  Frederica  Rowan,  London, 


I 
291  AMERICA   AND    HER   COMMENTATORS. 

to  his  countrymen  an  able  description  and  exposition  of  the 
American  system  of  popular  education,  which  is  justly 
esteemed  for  its  fulness  and  accuracy ;  while  the  great  work 
of  Rafn  on  "  Northern  Antiquities  "  identifies  the  profound 
researches  of  a  Danish  scholar  with  the  dawn  of  American 
history. 

It  is  refreshing  alike  to  the  senses  and  the  soul,  to  turn 
from  the  painfully  exciting  story  of  those  early  adventurers 
on  this  continent,  whose  object  was  conquest  and  personal 
aggrandizement,  whose  careers,  though  signalized  often  by 
heroism  and  sagacity,  were  fraught  with  bloodshed,  not  only 
in  conflicts  with  the  savages,  but  in  quarrels  among  their  own 
followers  arid  rivals,  to  the  peaceful  journeys  and  voyages — 
attended,  indeed,  with  exposure  and  privation — of  those  who 
sought  the  woods  and  waters  of  the  New  World  chiefly  to 
discover  their  marvels  and  enjoy  and  record  them.  We  find 
in  all  the  desirable  reports  of  explorers,  whether  men  of 
war,  diplomacy,  or  religion,  more  or  less  of  that  observa 
tion,  and  sometimes  of  that  love  of  nature,  so  instinctively 
active  when  a  new  scene  of  grandeur  or  beauty  is  revealed  to 
human  perception.  But  these  casual  indications  of  either  a 
scientific  or  sympathetic  interest  in  the  physical  resources  of 
the  country  are  but  the  episodes  in  expeditions,  whose  lead 
ers  were  too  hardy  or  unenlightened  to  follow  these  attrac 
tions,  for  their  own  sake,  with  zeal  and  exclusiveness.  Other 
and  less  innocent  objects  absorbed  their  minds  ;  and  it  is 
chiefly  among  the  missionaries  that  we  find  any  glowing 
recognition  of  the  charms  of  the  untracked  wilderness,  the 
mysterious  streams,  and  the  brilliant  skies,  which  they  strove 
to  consecrate  to  humanity  by  erecting,  amid  and  beneath  them, 
the  Cross,  which  should  hallow  the  flag  that  proclaimed  their 
acquisition  to  a  distant  but  ambitious  monarch.  To  the  natu 
ralist,  America  has  ever  abounded  in  peculiar  interest ;  and 

1853.  Other  Swedish  works  on  America  are  C.  D.  Arfevedson's  "Travels," 
(1838);  Gustaf  Unonceis'  "Recollections  of  a  Residence  of  Seventeen  Years 
in  the  United  States  "  (1862-'3).  Munck  Rieder,  a  Norwegian,  wrote  a  work 
on  his  return  from  the  United  States  in  1849 — chiefly  statistical. 


NORTHERN   EUROPEAN   WRITERS.  295 

all  with  an  inkling  of  that  taste  have  found  their  loneliest 
wanderings  cheered  thereby.  Nor  has  it  been  the  scientific 
love  of  nature  alone  to  which  she  has  here  ever  appealed. 
To  the  adventurous  and  poetical,  to  the  brave  lover  of  inde 
pendence  and  freedom,  like  Boone,  and  the  enthusiast,  like 
Chateaubriand,  the  forest  and  the  waterfall  have  possessed  a 
memorable  charm.  From  Bartram  to  Wilson,  and  from  Au- 
dubon  to  Agassiz,  the  world  of  animal  and  vegetable  life  in 
America  has  yielded  a  long  array  of  naturalists  the  richest 
materials  for  exploration. 

One  of  the  earliest  scientific  visitors  to  our  shores  was 
Peter  Kalm,  who  was  sent  from  Sweden,  with  the  approba 
tion  of  Linnreus,  in  1745.  His  salary  was  inadequate,  and  he 
so  trenched  upon  his  private  resources,  in  order  to  carry  out 
the  objects  of  his  journey,  as  to  be  compelled,  after  his  re 
turn  home,  to  practise  rigid  economy.  Kalm  was  born  in 
Osterbotten,  in  1715,  and  educated  at  Upsal.  On  his  return 
from  America,  he  was  appointed  professor  of  natural  history 
at  Abo,  where  he  died  in  1779.  A  charming  memorial  of  his 
visit  to  our  country  is  the  botanical  name  given  to  the  wild 
laurel  of  our  woods,  first  made  known  by  him  to  Europe, 
and,  in  honor  thereof,  called  the  Kalmia.  His  work,  "  En 
resa  til  Norra  Amerika,"  appeared  in  Stockholm  in  1753-'61, 
in  three  volumes,  and  was  translated  into  Dutch,  German,  and 
English — the  latter  by  John  R.  Foster,  under  the  title  of 
"Travels  in  North  America"  (2  vols.,  London,  1772).* 
He  passed  the  winter  of  1749  among  the  Swedes  settled  at 
Racoon,  New  Jersey.  He  explored  the  coast  of  New  York, 
visited  the  Blue  Mountains,  the  Mohawk,  Iroquois,  Oneida, 
Tuscarora,  and  Onondaga  Indian  tribes,  Lake  Ontario,  and 
the  Falls  of  Niagara.  His  description  of  the  latter  was  long 
popular.  In  his  diary,  while  at  Philadelphia,  he  notes  the 
variety  of  religious  sects  and  their  peculiarities,  the  exports, 
and  the  hygiene.  Some  of  the  facts  recorded  by  him  of  the 

*  "  Travels  in  North  America,  containing  its  Natural  History,  and  Civil, 
Ecclesiastical,  and  Commercial  State,"  £c.,  by  Peter  Kalm,  3  vols.  8vo.,  best 
edition,  map,  plates  Warrington,  1770. 


296  AMEEICA  AND  HER   COMMENTATORS. 

City  of  Brotherly  Love  a  century  ago,  enable  us  to  realize 
how  rapid  has  been  the  advance  from  suburban  wildness  to 
the  highest  metropolitan  luxury.  When  Kalm  sojourned 
there,  elks,  beavers,  and  stags  were  hunted  where  now  is 
"  the  sweet  security  of  streets."  So  abundant  were  the 
peaches,  that  they  served  as  the  food  of  swine.  The  noisy 
midsummer  chorus  of  frogs,  locusts,  and  grasshoppers  vibra 
ted  through  what  is  now  the  heart  of  a  great  city.  Maize 
was  to  the  Swedish  botanist  the  most  wonderful  staple  of  the 
soil.  He  discovered  a  species  of  Rhus  indigenous  to  the 
region.  The  murmur  of  the  spinning  wheel  was  a  familiar 
sound ;  and  sassafras  was  deemed  a  specific  cure  for  dropsy. 

Kalm's  picture  of  Albany  in  1749  is  an  interesting  paral 
lel  and  contrast  to  Mrs.  Grant's  more  elaborate  description, 
and  to  the  pleasant  social  glimpses  of  its  modern  life  given 
by  the  late  William  Kent  in  a  lecture  before  the  young  men 
there  of  this  generation.  The  Swedish  traveller  tells  us 
that  all  the  people  spoke  Dutch,  that  the  servants  were  all 
negroes,  and  that  all  the  houses  had  gable  ends  to  the  street, 
with  such  projecting  gutters  that  wayfarers  were  seriously 
incommoded  in  wet  weather.  He  describes  the  cattle  as 
roaming  the  dirty  streets  at  will ;  the  interior  of  the  dwell 
ings  as  of  an  exemplary  neatness,  and  the  fireplaces  and 
porches  thereof  of  an  amplitude  commensurate  with  the 
wide  and  genial  hospitality  and  liberal  social  instincts  of  the 
people,  whose  prevalent  virtues  he  regarded  as  frugality  in 
diet  and  integrity  of  purpose  and  character.  In  their  houses 
the  women  were  extremely  neat.  "  They  rise  early,"  says 
Kalm,  "  go  to  sleep  late,  and  are  almost  over  nice  and  cleanly 
in  regard  to  the  floor,  which  is  frequently  scoured  several 
times  a  week."  Tea  had  been  but  recently  introduced  among 
them,  but  was  extensively  used  ;  coffee  seldom.  They  never 
put  sugar  and  milk  in  their  tea,  but  took  a  small  piece  of  the 
former  in  their  mouths  while  sipping  the  beverage.  They 
usually  breakfasted  at  seven,  dined  at  twelve  or  one,  and 
supped  at  six  ;  and  most  of  them  used  sweet  rnilk  or  butter 
milk  at  every  meal.  They  also  used  cheese  at  breakfast  and 


NORTHERN   EUROPEAN   WRITERS.  297 

dinner,  grated  instead  of  sliced ;  and  the  usual  drink  of  the 
majority  of  the  people  was  small  beer  and  pure  water.  The 
wealthier  families,  although  not  indulging  in  the  variety  then 
seen  upon  tables  in  New  York,  used  much  fish,  flesh,  and 
fowl,  preserves  and  pastry,  nuts  and  fruits,  and  various  wines, 
at  their  meals,  especially  when  entertaining  their  friends  or 
strangers.  Their  hospitality  toward  deserving  strangers  was 
free  and  generous,  without  formality  and  rules  of  etiquette, 
and  they  never  allowed  their  visitors  to  interfere  with  the 
necessary  duties  of  the  household,  the  counting  room,  or  the 
farm. 

In  describing  his  visit  to  Niagara  Falls,  in  a  letter  dated 
Albany,  September  2,  1750,  Kalm  furnishes  us  with  an  inter 
esting  contrast  between  the  experience  of  a  traveller  to  this 
long-frequented  shrine  of  nature,  a  century  ago,  when  such 
expeditions  were  few  and  far  between,  and  the  magnificent 
scene  with  its  frontier  fort  was  isolated  in  the  wilderness, 
&nd  the  same  visit  now,  when  caravans  rush  thither  many 
times  a  day,  with  celerity,  to  find  all  the  comforts,  society, 
and  amenities  of  high  civilization : 

"  I  came,  on  the  12th  of  August,  to  Niagara  Fort.  The  French 
there  seemed  much  perplexed  at  my  first  coming,  imagining  I  was  an 
English  officer,  who,  under  pretext  of  seeing  the  Falls,  came  with 
Borne  other  view ;  but  as  soon  as  I  showed  them  my  passport,  they 
changed  their  behavior,  and  treated  me  with  the  greatest  civility. 
In  the  months  of  September  and  October,  such  immense  quantities 
of  dead  waterfowl  are  found,  every  morning,  below  the  fall,  on  the 
shore  (swept  there),  that  the  garrison  of  the  fort  for  a  long  time  live 
chiefly  upon  them,  and  obtain  such  plenty  of  feathers  in  autumn  as 
make  several  beds." 

The  Swedish  colony  on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware  early 
associated  that  brave  nationality  with  the  settlement  of 
America.*  Longfellow's  translation  of  Tegner's  "  Children 

*  1.  "  Description  of  New  Sweden  in  America,  and  the  Settlements  in 
Pennsylvania  by  Companies,"  Stockholm,  1792,  a  small  quarto,  with  primitive 
engravings. 

2.  "  Description  of  the  Province  of  New  Sweden,  now  called  by  the  English 
Pennsylvania,"  translated  and  edited  by  Peter  S.  Duponceau.     Phila.,  1824. 

3.  "  The  Swedes  on  the  Delaware,"  by  Rev.  Jehu  Curtis  Clay,  Phila. 

13* 


298  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

of  the  Lord's  Supper,"  with  the  prefatory  sketch  of  life  ill 
Sweden,  gave  us  a  pleasant  glimpse  of  its  primitive  and  rural 
traits ;  and  the  vocalism  and  beneficence  of  Jenny  Lind  en 
deared  the  very  name  of  that  far-off  land  to  American  hearts* 
But  the  novels  of  Fredrika  Bremer  first  made  known  in  this 
country  the  domestic  life  of  Sweden,  which,  delineated 
with  such  naivete  and  detail  in  "  The  Neighbors,"  charmed 
our  households,  and  prepared  them  to  give  a  cordial  welcome 
to  the  author.  The  first  impression  she  made,  however,  was 
not  highly  attractive.  A  journal  of  the  day  well  describes 
it,  and  the  natural  reaction  therefrom  : 

"  The  slowness  with  which  she  spoke,  and  the  pertinacity  with 
which  she  insisted  on  understanding  the  most  trifling  remark  made 
to  her,  a  little  dashed  the  enthusiasm  of  those  who  newly  made  her 
acquaintance.  Further  intercourse,  however,  brought  out  a  quaint 
and  quiet  self-possession,  a  shrewd  vein  of  playfulness,  a  quick  obser 
vation,  and  a  truly  charming  simplicity,  which  rewon  all  the  admi 
ration  she  had  lost,  and  added,  we  fancy,  even  to  the  ideal  of  expec 
tation." 

There  are  few  situations  in  modern  life  more  suggestive 
of  the  ludicrous,  than  that  of  a  wroman  "  of  a  certain  age," 
professedly  visiting  a  country  for  the  purpose  of  critically 
examining  and  reporting  it  and  its  people.  Every  American 
of  lively  imagination  who  has  been  thrown  into  society  with 
one  of  these  female  philosophers  on  such  a  voyage  of  discov 
ery,  must  have  caught  ideas  for  a  comedy  of  real  life  from 
the  phenomena  thus  created.  "  Asking  everybody  every 
thing,"  the  self-appointed  inspector  is  propitiated  by  one, 
quizzed  by  another,  feared  by  this  class  and  contemned  by  that, 
all  the  time  with  an  unconscious  air,  looking,  listening,  noting 
down,  and,  from  the  most  evanescent  and  unreliable  data, 
"  giving  an  opinion "  or  drawing  a  portrait,  not  of  a  well- 
known  place  or  familiar  person,  but  of  an  unknown  country 
and  a  strange  nation !  To  see  Miss  Martineau  vigilantly 
thridding  crowds  and  paying  out  the  flexible  tube  of  her  ear- 
trumpet,  like  a  telegraph  wire,  into  the  social  sea ;  or  Dick 
ens  astride  a  chair  in  a  hotel,  receiving  gratuitous  and  exag- 


NORTHERN   EUROPEAN   WRITERS.  299 

gerated  reports  of  the  state  of  the  nation,  from  a  group  of 
lion-struck  republicans,  are  tableaux  that  will  recur  to  many, 
as  illustrations  of  this  comedy  of  travel  in  America. 

It  was  our  lot  to  see  Miss  Bremer  at  a  manorial  domicile 
on  the  Hudson,  in  all  the  glory  of  her  "  mission."  It  was  in 
the  autumn,  and  no  one  could  pass  along  the  river  without 
being  struck  with  admiration  at  the  splendid  colors  that 
kindled  the  woods :  it  was  the  common  theme  of  remark. 
She,  however,  resented  this  assumed  superiority  of  the 
American  autumn,  saying,  "  The  Lord  also  has  done  some 
thing  for  Sweden.  Our  foliage  is  brilliant  in  the  fall."  In 
the  same  spirit  she  refused  to  believe  a  lady  fresh  from  Ken 
tucky,  who,  in  describing  to  her  the  Mammoth  Cave,  men 
tioned  the  familiar  fact  that  the  fish  therein  have  only  the 
rudiment  of  an  optic  nerve.  At  dinner,  her  inquiries  about 
the  material  and  preparation  of  the  viands  would  have  led  to 
the  supposition  that  she  meditated  a  manual  of  cookery  ;  and, 
on  returning  to  the  drawing  room,  she  whipped  out  a  sketch 
book,  and  coolly  drew  a  likeness  of  Irving,  the  most  illustri 
ous  of  the  guests.  The  fabrics  of  the  ladies'  dresses,  the 
modes  of  dancing,  the  style  of  meals,  the  trees,  furniture, 
books,  schools,  and  private  history  of  all  persons  of  note,  and 
even  of  those  unknown  to  fame,  were  investigated  with  per 
fect  good  humor  and  nonchalance  /  but  the  process  and  idea 
of  the  thing,  when  considered,  are  a  singular  commentary 
upon  modern  life  and  social  dignity ;  and  when  the  long- 
expected  book  appeared,  the  kind  people  who  had  enter 
tained  Miss  Bremer,  were  dismayed  to  find  their  sayings  and 
doings  recorded,  and  their  very  looks  and  characters  analyzed 
for  the  public  edification.  This  breach  of  good  faith  and 
good  taste,  however,  did  not  prevent  her  Swedish  readers 
from  learning,  through  her  very  frank  and  naive  but  often 
superficial  report,  many  details  of  domestic  economy,  and 
some  novelties  of  American  life ;  while  here  the  effect  was 
once  more  to  "give  us  pause"  in  our  hospitable  instincts,  and 
to  feel  the  necessity  of  a  new  sumptuary  law,  whereby  to  eat 
one's  salt  should  be  a  pledge  against  the  freedom  of  pen-craft. 


300  AMERICA   AND  HEK   COMMENTATORS. 

Adam  Gurowski's  book  on  America  is  noteworthy  as 
the  observations  of  a  Pole.  It  appeared  in  1857,  and  has 
few  elements  of  popularity,  being  alike  devoid  of  statistics 
and  gossip — the  staple  elements  of  favorite  records  of  travel 
on  this  side  of  the  water ;  but  it  is  honorably  distinguished 
from  these  by  a  vein  of  grave  speculation  and  historical  rea 
soning,  of  which  the  author's  subsequent  hasty,  irate,  and 
irrational  comments  on  the  war  for  the  Union,  give  no  indica 
tion.  Being  a  publicist  and  a  well-read  political  philosopher, 
as  well  as  a  political  refugee,  the  Count's  experience  as  a 
Polish  revolutionist,  an  employe  of  Russia,  and  a  long  resi 
dent  in  America,  fits  him  eminently  to  discuss  the  tendencies 
and  traits  of  this  country  by  the  light  of  the  past.  He  com 
pares  our  civilization  with  that  of  Europe.  The  tone  of  his 
work  is  liberal  and  rational.  He  is  a  sincere  and  earnest 
admirer  of  our  institutions,  a  trenchant  social  critic.  The 
pulpit,  press,  and  "  manifest  destiny "  of  the  nation  are 
keenly  analyzed,  and  slavery  is  discussed  from  an  historical 
stand-point,  and  thoroughly  condemned  by  practical  argu 
ment.  As  a  treatise  on  government  and  society,  the  book 
contains  an  unusual  amount  of  thought,  and  grasps  salient 
questions  with  a  comprehensive  scope.  It  is,  indeed,  defec 
tive  in  style,  and  contains  palpable  errors  of  statement  and 
inference ;  but  these  are  more  than  atoned  for  by  its  philo 
sophical  spirit. 

A  highly  educated  Swiss,  K.  Meier,  in  a  pleasant  wprk 
entitled  "  To  the  Sacramento,"  has  described  his  journey 
from  the  Northern  States  to  California  ma  Panama,  in  the 
German  language,  with  the  interest  which  ever  attaches  to 
the  tour  of  an  intelligent  votary  of  the  natural  sciences  ;  and 
an  officer  of  the  same  nation,  Colonel  Lecointe,  has  published, 
in  the  French  language,  a  report  of  our  military  operations 
during  the  first  months  of  the  war  for  the  Union,  which  has 
been  translated  into  English.* 

*  "  The  War  in  the  United  States  :    a  Keport  to  the  Swiss  Military  De 
partment  ;  preceded  by  a  Discourse  to  the  Federal  Military  Society,  assembled 


NORTHERN   EUROPEAN   WRITERS.  301 

An  accomplished  member  of  the  Belgian  Representative 
Chamber  wrote  an  able  little  treatise  on  "  La  Question  Ame- 
ricaine,"  *  in  which  he  arrays  facts  and  arguments  in  a  lucid 
and  forcible  manner,  and  discusses,  with  rare  fulness  and  per 
spicacity,  the  causes  and  consequences  of  the  civil  war.  His 
views  of  the  mutual  interests  of  his  own  and  our  country  are 
worth  citing : 

"  It  will  not  seem  out  of  place  to  show  here,  briefly,  that,  as  re 
gards  Belgium,  the  cotton  question  is  not  the  only  one  which  inter 
ests  her  in  the  affairs  of  America.  "We  have  close  constitutional 
analogies  with  the  United  States.  If  their  institutions  should  fall, 
ours  would  suffer  by  reaction.  We  have  copied  the  American  Con 
stitution,  not  only  as  to  municipal  and  provincial  decentralization, 
as  to  that  of  industrial,  financial,  charitable  associations,  &c.,  as  to 
the  great  liberties  of  worship,  of  instruction,  and  of  the  press  (of 
which  the  English  charter  offered  us  equally  the  model) ;  but  we 
have  followed  America  particularly  as  regards  the  absence  of  a  state 
religion,  of  which  Catholic  Maryland  gave  the  first  example.  We 
have  imitated  her  in  the  institution  of  an  elective  Senate,  in  that  of 
a  House  of  Representatives  identified  with  the  democratic  interest. 
The  national  Congress  voted  the  Belgian  Constitution  with  their  eyes 
fixed  on  the  American  Union.  Were  we  to  consult  only  the  interest 
of  Belgium,  we  ought  to  desire  that  the  United  States  should  con 
tinue  to  remain  what  they  have  been,  and  to  give  us  the  example  of 
union,  of  the  spirit  of  liberty,  and  of  decentralization — qualities 
which  characterize  the  Anglo-Saxon  race,  with  which  the  Belgians 
have  bonds  of  relationship  and  close  affinities."  (P.  63.) 

No  Europeans,  in  our  own  day,  have  had  more  reason  to 
regard  North  America  with  hopeful  interest  than  the  Ger 
mans.  To  their  indigent  agricultural  population  this  country 
has  proved  a  prosperous  home  ;  and  the  zeal  with  which  our 
Teutonic  fellow  citizens,  of  all  classes,  volunteered  for  the 
war  on  whose  issues  hang  the  liberties  of  this  continent,  is 
the  best  evidence  of  their  appreciation  of  the  privileges  of 

at  Berne,  August  18th,  1862,"  by  Ferdinand  Lecomte,  translated  from  the 
French  by  a  Staff  Officer,  New  York,  1863. 

*  "  La  Question  Americaine  dans  ses  Rapports  avec  les  Moeurs,  1'  Escla- 
vage,  F  Industrie  et  la  Politique."  Par  Le  Chanoine  de  Haerne,  Membre  de  la 
Chambre  des  Representants,  Bruxelles,  1862,  8vo.,  pp.  72. 


302  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

American  citizenship.  No  foreigners  seem  to  organize  their 
national  life  among  us  with  such  facility.  The  guilds  and 
pastimes  of  the  fatherland  are  as  familiar  in  our  cities  as  on 
the  Rhine.  German  scholars  and  thinkers  are  attached  to 
our  colleges,  contribute  to  our  literature,  and  enrich  our  soci 
ety  ;  Avhile  large  sections  of  the  Western  States  are  culti 
vated  by  German  peasants.  Moreover,  the  literature  of  Ger 
many  has  essentially  modified  the  culture  of  the  present  gen 
eration  of  American  scholars  ;  and  thus,  in  the  sphere  of 
intellectual  and  of  utilitarian  life,  a  mutual  understanding 
and  sympathy,  and  a  community  of  political  interests,  have 
tended  to  bring  the  two  nationalities  into  nearer  relations. 

Many  statistical  works  on  the  United  States  have*  been 
published  in  Germany  as  guides  to  emigrants ;  and  many 
sensible  treatises  explaining  and  describing  our  institutions, 
manners,  resources,  and  characteristics,  like  those  of  Yon 
Raumer,  Lieber,  and  other  residents  and  visitors.  A  certain 
philosophical  impartiality  of  tone  makes  the  German  record 
a  kind  of  middle  ground  between  the  urbane  and  enthusiastic 
French  and  the  prejudiced  and  sneering  English  writers. 
Some  of  the  most  just  views  and  candid  delineations  have 
emanated  from  German  writers.  Their  political  sympathies, 
extensive  information,  and  patient  tone  of  mind,  alike  fit 
them  for  the  task  of  investigating  and  reporting  physical  and 
social  facts.  The  record  may  lack  sprightliness,  and  be 
tinged  with  a  curious  vein  of  speculation,  but  is  nevertheless 
likely  to  convey  solid  and  valuable  knowledge,  and  suggest 
comprehensive  inferences.  Gerstaecker,  who  travelled  on 
foot  over  a  large  part  of  the  Soutlnvest,  and  Trochling,  have 
given  to  many  of  their  countrymen  the  first  vivid  impres 
sions  of  America.  Writing  in  the  novelistic  form,  they 
reached  the  sympathies  of  many  who  would  neglect  a  merely 
statistical  work.  Private  letters,  and  the  current  journals  and 
translations  of  Cooper  and  Irving,  are,  however,  the  popular 
sources  of  specific  information  and  romantic  impressions  in 
Germany  in  regard  to  the  United  States.  Although  Baron 
Hurnboldt's  American  researches  were  chiefly  confined  to  the 


NORTHERN   EUROPEAN   WRITERS.  303 

Southern  continent,  he  was  keenly  alive  to  the  human  interest 
and  civic  problems  of  the  United  States.  "  We  would  sim 
ply  draw  attention,"  he  writes  in  "  Cosmos,"  "  to  the  fact 
that,  since  this  period  "  (that  of  the  discoArery  and  coloniza 
tion  of  America),  "  a  new  and  more  vigorous  activity  of  the 
mind  and  feelings,  animated  by  bold  aspirations  and  hopes 
which  can  scarcely  be  frustrated,  has  gradually  penetrated 
through  all  grades  of  civil  society ;  that  the  scanty  popula 
tion  of  one  half  of  the  globe,  especially  in  the  portions  oppo 
site  to  Europe,  has  favored  the  settlement  of  colonies,  which 
have  been  converted,  by  their  extent  and  position,  into  inde 
pendent  States,  enjoying  unlimited  power  in  the  choice  of 
their  mode  of  free  government ;  and,  finally,  that  religious 
reform — the  precursor  of  great  political  revolutions — could 
not  fail  to  pass  through  the  different  phases  of  its  develop 
ment,  in  a  portion  of  the  earth  which  had  become  the  asylum 
of  all  forms  of  faith,  and  of  the  most  different  views  regard 
ing  Divine  things.  The  daring  enterprise  of  the  Genoese 
seaman  is  the  first  link  in  the  immeasurable  chain  of  these 
momentous  events.  Accident,  and  not  fraud  and  dissension, 
deprived  the  continent  of  America  of  the  name  of  Columbus. 
The  New  World,  continuously  brought  nearer  to  Europe 
during  the  last  half  century  by  means  of  commercial  inter 
course  and  the  improvement  of  navigation,  has  exercised  an 
important  influence  on  the  political  institutions,  the  ideas  and 
feelings  of  those  nations  who  occupy  the  eastern  shores  of 
the  Atlantic,  the  boundaries  of  which  appear  to  be  constantly 
brought  nearer  and  nearer  to  one  another." 

There  is  a  curious  illustration  of  the  first  impressions  of 
the  highly  educated  Germans  in  America,  in  a  phrase  of 
Baron  Furstenwarther,  and  its  explanation  by  Mr.  Schmidt : 
"  With  all  the  facility,"  writes  the  former,  "  particularly  of 
the  material  life,  there  is  no  idea,  not  a  distant  suspicion,  of 
a  high  and  fine  existence."  "  By  material,"  observes  the  lat 
ter,  "  we  mean  men  who  take  more  pleasure  in  a  cattle  show 
or  a  breed  of  swine,  than  a  Venus  de  Medici  or  a  Laocoon." 
Very  patient  and  informing,  but  quite  tame  and  didactic,  are 


304:  AMERICA   AND   HEK  COMMENTATORS. 

the  "  Travels  in  North  America  "  by  His  Highness,  Bernhard, 
Duke  of  Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach,  republished  in  Philadelphia 
in  1828.  The  kindliness  and  intelligence  of  the  Duke  are 
apparent  on  every  page  of  these  two  volumes ;  but  there  is 
little  new  in  the  subjects  or  mode  of  treatment.  It  is  a  work 
which  excites  respect  for  the  man  more  than  admiration  for 
the  writer.  His  benevolent  interest  and  his  detailed  account 
of  what  he  sees  and  hears,  are  the  most  remarkable  traits. 
He  gives  a  favorable  report  of  the  hospitality  of  Americans  ; 
describes  his  visit  to  the  elder  Adams,  and  a  Virginia  rail 
fence,  a  granite  machine  in  New  England,  and  a  Hudson 
River  steamboat  or  horse  ferry,  the  Creek  Indians,  and 
Owen's  community,  with  the  same  fulness  and  apparent  inter 
est.  He  criticizes  West's  painting  of  "  Christ  Healing  the 
Sick  "  judiciously,  bestows  the  epithet  "  dear  "  upon  Philadel 
phia,  was  astonished  "to  hear  Virginians  praise  hereditary 
nobility  and  primogeniture,"  and  greatly  enjoyed  a  visit  to 
the  Moravian  settlement  at  Bethlehem,  the  Natural  Bridge, 
and  a  dinner  at  Monticello.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  travel 
lers  of  rank  show  so  much  more  human  and  so  much  less  con 
ventional  interest  in  American  life,  manners,  and  resources 
than  those  who  belong  to  a  class  we  should  imagine  especially 
alive  to  the  opportunities  and  privileges  of  a  new  and  free 
country.  Yet  the  Cavalier  Castiglione,  the  Marquis  of  Chas- 
tellux,  the  Duke  of  Saxe- Weimar,  and  Lord  Morpeth  are 
more  just  and  generous  in  their  observation  and  sympa 
thies,  as  travellers  in  America,  than  a  Hall,  a  Trollope,  or  a 
Dickens. 

Friedrich  Von  Raumer,  more  of  an  historian  than  an 
observer,  a  professor  in  the  University  of  Berlin,  and  author 
of  several  political  and  historical  treatises,  after  travelling  in 
England  and  publishing  his  observations  on  that  country, 
which  were  translated  by  Mrs.  Austin  (5  vols.,  London, 
1836),  visited  this  country,  and,  in  1843,  wrote  a  book  there 
on,  entitled  "  America  and  the  American  people,"  subse 
quently  translated  and  published  in  New  York.*  It  contains 

*  "  America  and  the  American  People,"  by  Frederick  Yon  Raumer, 


NORTHERN   EUROPEAN   WRITERS.  305 

much  valuable  information,  and  is  written  with  the  love  of 
knowledge  and  patient  exposition  thereof  characteristic  of  a 
German  professor,  but  evidently  drawn  much  more  from 
books  than  from  life. 

The  German  edition  of  the  "  Travels  "  *  in  America  of 
the  Prince  Maximilian  von  Wied,  is  superbly  illustrated,  and 
much  used  as  an  authentic  reference  by  his  countrymen,  for 
whom  the  work  was  expressly  written  :  it  is  wholly  descrip 
tive,  and  therefore  contains  little  that  is  new  to  a  well-in 
formed  native.  The  work  was  translated  into  English,  and 
with  its  superb  illustrations  republished  in  London.  One  of 
the  best  known  here  of  the  German  writers  on  this  country  is 
Dr.  Francis  Lieber.  He  was  born  at  Berlin  in  1800,  and  re 
ceived  a  doctor's  degree  at  the  University  of  Jena.  Like  so 
many  ardent  and  cultivated  young  Europeans,  he  espoused 
the  cause  of  Greece  during  her  Revolution ;  became  a  politi 
cal  exile,  received  a  letter  of  encouragement  from  Richter, 
wrote  poems  in  prison,  and,  in  1827,  came  to  America.  He 
edited  the  Cyclopaedia  Americana,  and  was  professor  in  Co 
lumbia  College,  South  Carolina,  several  years,  and  now  holds 
a  like  situation  in  Columbia  College,  New  York.  Dr.  Lieber 
is  an  eminent  publicist.  His  views  on  political  economy  are 
original  and  profound.  His  expositions  of  international  law, 
and  his  occasional  political  essays,  are  alike  remarkable  for 
extensive  knowledge  and  acute  reasoning.  His  "  Letters  to 
a  Gentleman  in  Germany,"  or  "  The  Stranger  in  America,"  f 
exhibit  his  ability  in  his  special  line  of  studies,  applied  to  our 
institutions  and  resources.  They  give  remarkably  full  state 
ments  of  judicial  and  penitentiary  systems,  and  of  social 
traits.  Dr.  Lieber's  ample  opportunities  of  observation,  his 

translated  from  the  German  by  W.  W.  Turner,  8vo.,  pp.  512,  New  York, 
1846. 

*  "  Journey  through  North  America,"  by  Prince  Max  v.  New-wied-Wied, 
a  most  valuable  work,  rich  in  characteristic  sketches  of  nature  and  life,  as  well 
as  in  scientific  results. 

f  "  The  Stranger  in  America ;  comprising  Sketches  of  the  Manners  of 
Society,  &c.,"  by  Francis  Lieber,  2  vols.  8vo.,  London,  1835. 


306  AMEEICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATOKS. 

familiarity  with  society  and  life  both  North  and  South,  and 
the  philosophical  tendency  of  his  mind,  make  him  a  remarkably 
apt  expositor  of  the  most  important  questions  relating  to  our 
country.  His  work  was  translated  into  English  by  a  son 
of  the  celebrated  jurist  Hugo. 

Christian  Schultz  made  an  inland  tour  through  the  United 
States,  in  1807-'8,  of  six  thousand  miles,  his  description 
whereof  was  published  in  New  York  in  1810.*  Though  not 
intended  for  the  public,  his  letters  are  intelligent,  and,  for 
the  most  part,  accurate.  Those  referring  to  the  Western  Ter 
ritories  must  have  afforded  seasonable  and  desirable  informa 
tion  at  that  period ;  and  his  account  of  the  Middle  States  is 
in  some  respects  highly  satisfactory.  A  good  illustration  of 
the  absence  of  locomotive  facilities  at'  that  time  on  one  of 
the  most  frequented  lines  of  travel  in  our  day,  occurs  in  the 
notes  of  his  journey  from  Albany  to  Oswego.  The  latter 
place,  he  tells  us,  was  then  "  wholly  dependent  upon  the  salt 
trade."  He  went  there  by  canal  and  through  Wood  Creek 
and  the  Onondaga  River ;  in  fact,  by  the  route  described  in 
Cooper's  "  Pathfinder,"  substituting  a  barge  for  a  canoe.  As 
to  the  town  itself,  thus  slowly  approached  by  water,  and  long 
the  goal  of  fur  trader,  missionary,  and  military  expeditions, 
this  author  thought  its  "  appearance  very  contemptible  from 
the  irregular  and  confused  manner  in  which  the  inhabitants 
build  their  houses  ; "  but  his  impression  of  the  place  changed 
when  he  surveyed  the  lake  from  the  shore,  and  recognized  so 
many  local  advantages  and  so  vast  and  beautiful  a  prospect. 

A  volume,  written  also  from  personal  experience,  of  the 
same  date,  by  Ludwig  Gale,  entitled  "  My  Emigration  to  the 
United  States,"  is  another  of  the  early  specimens  of  German 
Travels  therein,  since  forgotten  in  the  more  complete  and 
careful  reports  of  later  writers.  Nor  should  the  essay  of  a 
political  philosopher  and  naturalist,  E.  A.  W.  Zimmerman, 
be  neglected.  It  is  entitled  "  France  and  the  Free  States  of 

*  "  Travels  on  an  Inland  Voyage  through  the  States  of  New  York,  Penn 
sylvania,  Virginia,  Ohio,  Kentucky,  and  Tennessee,  &c.,"  by  Christian  Schultz, 
with  numerous  maps  and  plates,  2  vols.  8vo.,  New  York,  1810. 


NORTHERN   EUROPEAN   WRITERS.  307 

North  America,"  and  appeared  in  1795.  Its  author,  a  native 
of  Hanover,  and  educated  at  Leyden  and  Gottingen,  died  in 
1815,  and,  "during  the  whole  period  of  the  French  ascen 
dency  in  Europe,  was  distinguished  for  his  bold  denunciation 
of  the  usurpations  and  oppressions  of  that  Government." 

In  1839,  a  view  of  "  Social  and  Public  Life  in  the  United 
States,"  by  Nicholas  H.  Julius,  appeared  at  Leipsic.  It  is 
written  in  a  very  intelligent  and  humane  spirit,  and  with 
practical  judgment.  Paul  William  Duke  of  Wurtemberg's 
"  Journey  in  North  America  in  the  Years  1825-'26,"  is  finely 
descriptive,  with  vivid  sketches  of  social  life.  It  contains 
a  detailed  account  of  some  of  the  German  settlements. 
William  Grisson  characterizes  ably  the  juridical,  religious, 
and  military  relations  of  America,  and  comments  on  life 
there  from  careful  observation.  F.  W.  von  Wrede  drew 
some  authentic  "  Pictures  of  Life  in  the  United  States  and 
Texas."  In  Count  Gorsz's  "  Journey  Round  the  World,"  the 
first  volume  is  devoted  to  America ;  and,  the  author  having 
remained  there  longest,  it  is  the  best  of  the  series.  M. 
Busch's  "  Wanderings  in  the  United  States  "  is  written  with 
candor,  and  presents  the  extremes  of  light  and  shade,  with 
no  small  humor ;  while  Francis  Loher  has  some  excellent 
national  portraits  in  his  "  Lands  and  People  in  the  Old  and 
New  World,"  and  describes  at  length  the  "  Germans  in 
America,"  with  whom  he  long  resided.  Frederick  Kapp 
published,  at  Gottingen,  in  1854,  a  treatise  on  the  slavery 
question,  in  its  historical  development,  full  of  facts  and  just 
reasoning,  although  recent  events  have  negatived  its  pro 
phetic  inductions.  Louis  von  Baumbach's  "  New  Letters 
from  the  United  States"  (Cassel,  1856),  is  a  useful  guide  to 
the  candid  study  of  American  life  and  institutions ;  and 
Julius  Frobel's  "From  America"  (Leipsic,  1857)  treats  with 
esprit  and  geniality  social  and  political  questions. 

In  a  work  entitled  "  The  Americans  in  their  Moral,  Social, 
and  Political  Relations,"  a  German  writer,  Francis  J.  Grund 
(subsequently  a  naturalized  citizen  and  active  politician),  ex 
posed  some  of  the  superficial  and  false  reasoning  of  English 


308  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

travellers  in  America.  Published  in  Boston  *  and  London  in 
1837,  and  claiming  to  be  the  result  of  fourteen  years'  resi 
dence  in  the  country,  it  discussed,  with  much  acuteness  and 
candor,  several  unhackneyed  topics  of  this  prolific  theme : 
among  them,  the  aversion  to  amusements,  the  reception  of 
foreigners,  the  relation  of  American  literature  to  the  English 
periodical  press,  and  the  influence  of  the  Western  settlements 
on  the  political  prospects  of  America  ;  while  the  more  famil 
iar  topics  of  education,  universal  suffrage,  slavery,  and  indus 
trial  enterprises,  are  treated  with  much  discrimination.  The 
political  sympathies  of  the  author  give  an  emphasis  to  his 
arguments  ;  but  he  is  by  no  means  blind  to  the  national  defi 
ciencies  ;  and  in  a  subsequent  work,  evidently  more  especially 
devoted  thereto — which,  although  ostensibly  edited  only,  was 
written  by  him,  and  entitled  "  Aristocracy  in  America  " — he 
exhibits  them  with  sarcastic  vigor.  His  first  book,  however, 
was  timely,  true,  and  remarkably  well  written.  He  professes 
to  have  arrived  at  strict  impartiality,  and  was  chiefly  inspired 
by  an  "  honest  desire  to  correct  prejudices,  American  and 
English,  and  not  to  furnish  them  with  fresh  aliment."  He 
declares  that  the  "Americans  have  been  greatly  misrepre 
sented  ; "  and  this  not  so  much  by  ascribing  to  them  spurious 
qualities,  as  by  omitting  to  mention  those  which  entitle  them 
to  honor  and  respect,  and  representing  the  foibles  of  certain 
classes  as  weaknesses  belonging  to  the  nation.  In  the  opin 
ion  of  this  writer,  "  a  remarkable  trait  of  English  travellers 
in  the  United  States  consists  in  their  proneness  to  find  the 
same  faults  with  Americans  which  the  people  of  the  conti 
nent  of  Europe  are  apt  to  find  with  themselves."  He  recog 
nizes  an  "  air  of  busy  inquietude "  as  characteristic  of  the 
people,  and  "  business  "  as  the  "  soul "  of  American  life  ;  yet 
he  considers  the  tendency  of  their  democracy  "  not  to  debase 
the  wealthy  in  mind  or  fortune,  but  to  raise  the  inferior 
classes  to  a  moral  elevation  where  they  no  longer  need  be 

*  "  The  Americans  in  their  Moral,  Social,  and  Political  Relations,"  by 
Francis  J.  Grund,  2  vols.  in  1,  12mo.,  Boston,  1837. 


NORTHERN  EUROPEAN  WRITERS.  309 

degraded  and  despised."  As  to  the  "  unhallowed  custom  of 
talking  about  trade  and  business,  I  must  confess,"  he  says, 
"  not  to  have  remarked  it  half  as  often  as  Hamilton.  I  rather 
think  an  honorable  exception  was  made  in  his  favor,  in  order 
to  acquaint  him  the  better  with  American  aifairs,  on  which 
they  knew  he  was  about  to  write  a  book.."  To  this  natural 
explanation  of  a  circumstance  which  the  English  traveller 
magnifies  into  a  national  defect,  the  more  kindly  continental 
observer  adds  another  which  accounts  for  many  false  infer 
ences  :  "  From  the  writings  of  Basil  Hall  and  Hamilton,  it  is 
evident  that  neither  of  the  gentlemen  became  acquainted  with 
any  but  the  fashionable  coteries  of  the  large  cities,  and  that 
the  manners  of  the  people,  and  especially  of  the  respectable 
middle  class,  escaped  altogether  their  immediate  attention." 
He  observes  that  "the  most  remarkable  characteristic  of 
Americans  is  the  uncommon  degree  of  intelligence  that  per 
vades  all  classes  ;"  and  thinks  that  "  their  proneness  to  argue 
lends  a  zest  to  conversation."  To  popular  education  he 
attributes  the  mental  activity  and  enlightenment  so  striking 
to  a  European  as  general  traits.  "  The  German  system,"  he 
remarks,  "  favors  the  development  of  the  mind  to  the  exclu 
sion  of  all  practical  purposes.  The  American  aims  always 
at  some  application,  and  creates  dexterity  and  readiness  for 
action."  In  the  Western  communities,  he  finds  an  attractive 
"  naivete  of  manners  and  grotesqueness  of  humor."  No  one, 
he  says,  can  travel  in  the  United  States  without  making  a 
business  of  it.  "  He  must  not  expect  to  stop  except  at  the 
place  fixed  upon  by  the  proprietors  of  the  road  or  the  steam 
boat."  The  position  of  a  man  of  leisure  in  this  country, 
unless  he  is  interested  in  literary  or  scientific  pursuits,  he 
deems  forlorn,  because  it  is  companionless.  "  There  is  no 
people  on  earth,"  he  observes,  "  with  whom  business  consti 
tutes  pleasure  and  industry  amusement,  to  an  equal  degree  as 
with  the  inhabitants  of  the  United  States."  Hamilton  attrib 
utes  the  "  total  absence  of  the  higher  elegancies  of  life  "  in 
this  country  to  the  "  abolition  of  primogeniture  ; "  while  this 
German  commentator  cheerfully  accepts  the  condition  that  he 


310  AMERICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

"  must  resign  his  individual  tastes  to  the  wishes  of  the  major 
ity  "  in  view  of  the  compensatory  benefits.  "  Every  new 
State,"  he  writes,  "  is  a  fresh  guarantee  for  the  continuance 
of  the  American  Constitution,  and  directs  the  attention  of 
the  people  to  new  sources  of  happiness  and  wealth.  It  in 
creases  the  interest  of  all  in  the  General  Government,  and 
makes  individual  success  dependent  on  national  prosperity." 
With  such  broad  sympathies  and  liberal  views,  he  protests 
against  the  narrowness  and  the  injustice  of  British  writers, 
who  have  so  pertinaciously  misrepresented  the  country,  its 
institutions  and  prospects,  declaring  that  "  the  progress  of 
America  reflects  but  the  glory  of  England.  All  the  power 
she  acquires  extends  the  moral  empire  of  England.  Every 
page  of  American  history  is  a  valuable  supplement  to  that  of 
England.  It  is  the  duty  of  true  patriots  of  both  countries  to 
support  and  uphold  each  other  to  the  utmost  extent  compati 
ble  with  national  justice ;  and  it  is  a  humiliating  task  either 
for  private  individuals  or  public  men  to  make  the  foibles  of 
either  the  subject  of  ridicule  to  the  other." 

In  his  novels,  Otto  Ruppius,  who  resided  for  a  consider 
able  period  in  the  United  States,  undertook,  in  this  form,  to 
make  his  countrymen  familiar  with  the  various  aspects  of  life 
in  America.  They  are  interesting  and  suggestive,  and  in 
many  respects  authentic,  though  not  always  free  from  those 
partial  or  overdrawn  pictures  which  are  inseparable  from  this 
form  of  writing. 

Another  German  author,  for  some  years  a  resident  in  the 
United  States,  has  made  life  and  nature  there  the  subject  of 
several  interesting  and  effective  novels — after  having,  on  his 
return  home  in  1826,  published  the  general  result  of  his  ob 
servation  and  experience  on  this  side  of  the  water.  He  came 
back  the  following  year,  and  his  first  American  romance  ap 
peared  in  Philadelphia  soon  after,  under  the  title  of  "  To- 
keah  ;  or,  The  White  Rose."  Charles  Seatsfield  thus  became 
known  as  an  author.  In  1829  and  '30  he  was  one  of  the 
editors  of  the  'Courier  des  Etats  Unis,  and,  soon  after,  went 
to  Paris  as  correspondent  of  the  New  YorJc  Courier  and 


NORTHERN  EUROPEAN  WRITERS.  311 

Enquirer.  In  1832  he  visited  Switzerland,  and  there  pub 
lished  a  translation  of  "  Tokeah."  So  popular  was  this  work 
abroad,  that  he  resolved  to  compose  a  series  of  romances 
illustrative  of  American  life.  His  keen  observation,  strong 
sympathies,  and  imaginative  zest  enabled  him  to  mould  into 
vivid  pictures  the  scenes  and  characters  with  which  he  had 
become  familiar  in  America,  where  the  six  novels  devoted  to 
that  subject  soon  became  known  through  partial  translations 
which  appeared  in  Blackwood 's  Magazine.  The  intensity 
arid  freshness  of  these  delineations  excited  much  interest. 
They  seemed  to  open  a  new  and  genuine  vein  of  romance  in 
American  life,  or,  rather,  to  make  the  infinite  possibilities 
thereof  charmingly  apparent.  This  was  an  experiment  sin 
gularly  adapted  to  a  German,  who,  with  every  advantage  of 
European  education,  in  the  freshness  of  life  had  emigrated  to 
this  country,  and  there  worked  and  travelled,  observed  and 
reflected,  and  then,  looking  back  from  the  ancient  quietude 
of  his  ancestral  land,  could  delineate,  under  the  inspiration 
of  contrast,  all  the  wild  and  wonderful,  the  characteristic  and 
original  phases  and  facts  of  his  existence  in  Texas,  Pennsyl 
vania,  or  New  York.  "  Life  in  the  New  World"  was  soon 
translated  and  published  in  the  latter  city.  It  was  followed 
by  "  The  Cabin  Book ;  or,  Sketches  of  Life  in  Texas,"  and 
others  of  the  series  which  abroad  have  given  to  thousands 
the  most  vivid  impressions  of  the  adventure,  the  scenery,  and 
the  characters  of  our  frontier,  and  of  many  of  the  peculiar 
traits  of  our  more  confirmed  civilization.  Seatsfield  resides 
alternately  in  Switzerland  and  the  United  States. 

Few  modern  travellers  have  won  a  more  desirable  reputa 
tion  for  intelligent  assiduity  and  an  honest  spirit  than  John 
G.  Kohl,  who,  born  at  Breme  in  1808,  was  educated  at  Got- 
tingen,  Heidelberg,  and  Munich,  and,  after  filling  the  office 
of  private  tutor  in  two  noble  families,  established  himself  at 
Dresden,  and  thence  made  numerous  excursions  through  vari 
ous  parts  of  Europe  and  America ;  describing,  with  care  and 
often  with  a  singular  thoroughness,  the  countries  thus  visited. 
Few  records  of  travel  convey  so  much  interesting  information. 


312  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

The  attainments  and  the  temper  of  Kohl  alike  fit  him  for  his 
chosen  department  of  literature ;  for,  to  much  historical  and 
scientific  information,  an  enlightened  and  ardent  curiosity, 
and  a  habit  of  patient  investigation,  he  unites  a  liberal, 
urbane  disposition,  and  a  rare  facility  of  adaptation.  He 
deals  chiefly  with  facts  that  come  under  his  own  observation, 
and  views  them  in  the  light  of  history.  Imagination  is  quite 
secondary  to  rational  inquiry  in  the  scope  of  his  studies  from 
life ;  but  he  is  not  destitute  of  sensibility  to  nature,  nor 
wanting  in  that  philosophic  interest  in  man,  whereby  the 
records  of  travel  become  so  suggestive  and  valuable.  Still, 
to  most  of  his  readers  the  charm  of  his  books  is  mainly  their 
candid  and  complete  report  of  local  features,  social  circum 
stances,  and  economical  traits  ;  so  that  one  is  often  surprised 
to  find  a  hackneyed  subject  arrayed  in  fresh  interest,  through 
the  new  facts  noted  or  the  special  vein  of  inquiry  pursued  by 
this  genial  and  intelligent  cicerone.  Kohl  has  written  thus 
of  Russia,  Poland,  Hungary,  Styria,  Bavaria,  England,  Scot 
land,  Ireland,  Denmark,  Switzerland,  Holland,  Istria,  Dalma- 
tia,  and  other  countries,  explored  by  him  with  obvious  zeal 
and  vigilant  observation.  The  tone  of  his  mind  may  be  in 
ferred,  not  only  from  the  extent  of  his  books  of  travels  and 
their  fulness  and  authenticity,  but  also  from  the  casual  sub 
jects  which  have  occupied  his  indefatigable  pen  ;  such  as  the 
"  Influence  of  Climate  on  the  Character  and  Destiny  of  the 
People ; "  and  "  Esquisses  de  la  Vie,  de  la  Nature  et  des 
Peuples."  The  inquiries  and  impressions  of  so  experienced  a 
traveller  and  comprehensive  a  student  cannot  be  destitute  of 
interest  and  value.  During  his  sojourn  among  us,  Kohl  culti 
vated  the  acquaintance  of  men  of  letters.  He  was  eager  in 
searching  for  the  earliest  maps  and  charts  of  the  country  and 
the  coast.  He  domesticated  himself  where  there  was  most 
to  be  learned,  and  won  the  esteem  of  all  who  knew  him,  by 
his  naive,  candid,  and  intelligent  companionship.  Thus  far 
his  published  writings  on  America  consist  of  an  account  of 
his  visit  to  Canada,  an  expedition  to  Lake  Superior,  an  elabo 
rate  sketch  of  the  History  of  Discovery  on  this  Continent, 


r;  \  UrtAKV^^ 
i>'  x  -t      x\ 

C,THE'         \ 


NORTHERN   EUROPEAN   WRITERS.  313 

and  various  local  delineations,  which  have  appeared  in  the 
London  periodicals.  He  differs  from  other  writers  by  his 
geographical  knowledge  and  the  comparisons  founded  on  ex 
tensive  observations  in  other  parts  of  the  world.  Although 
not  blind  to  the  incongruities  and  inequalities  of  our  civiliza 
tion,  he  is  keenly  alive  to  the  progressive  tendencies  and 
actual  privileges  here  realized.  His  eye  for  nature  is  scien 
tific,  his  interpretation  of  national  character  acute,  his  judg 
ments  often  historical  in  their  basis  ;  and  it  is  in  the  spirit  of 
a  kindly  man  of  the  world,  and  a  scholar  and  thinker,  that  he 
looks  on  the  spectacle  of  American  life.  With  a  true  Ger 
man  patience  and  zest,  he  seeks  the  men  and  the  things,  the 
facts  of  the  past  and  the  traits  of  the  present  that  interest 
him,  and  have,  in  his  estimation,  true  significance  as  illustra 
tive  of  national  'character  or  local  traits.  How  he  thus  re 
garded  some  of  our  literary  and  political  celebrities  and  social 
aspects  and  traits,  appears  from  his  account  of  Boston.  It  is 
curious  to  compare  his  impressions  of  the  metropolis  of  New 
England,  viewed  in  such  a  spirit  and  for  such  an  'end,  at  this 
period,  with  the  primitive  picture  of  the  Abbe  Robin  and  the 
imbittered  reminiscences  of  Consul  Grattan  : 

"  Of  all  the  cities  of  the  American  Union,  Boston  is  the  one  that 
has  most  fully  retained  the  character  of  an  English  locality.  This 
is  visible  upon  the  first  glance  at  its  physiognomy  and  the  style  of 
building.  The  city  is  spread  out  over  several  islands  and  peninsulas, 
in  the  innermost  nook  of  Massachusetts  Bay.  The  heart  of  Boston 
is  concentrated  on  a  single  small  peninsula,  at  which  all  the  advan 
tages  of  position,  such  as  depth  of  water,  accessibility  from  the  sea 
and  other  port  conveniences,  are  so  combined,  that  this  spot  neces 
sarily  became  the  centre  of  life,  the  Exchange,  landing  place,  and 
market. 

"  The  ground  in  this  central  spot  rises  toward  the  middle,  and 
formerly  terminated  in  a  triple-peaked  elevation  (the  Three  Moun 
tains),  which  induced  the  earliest  immigrants  to  settle  here.  At  the 
present  time  these  three  points  have  disappeared,  to  a  great  extent, 
through  the  spread  of  building ;  but  for  all  that,  the  elevation  is  per 
ceptible  for  some  distance,  and  the  centre  of  Boston  seems  to  tower 
over  the  rest  of  the  city  like  an  acropolis.  From  this  centre  numer 
ous  streets  run  to  the  circumference  of  the  island,  while  others  have 
14 


314  AMEEICA  AND  HER   COMMENTATORS. 

been  drawn  parallel  with  it,  just  as  Moscow  is  built  round  the 
Kremlin.  All  this  is  in  itself  somewhat  European,  and  hence  there 
are  in  Boston  streets  running  up  and  down  hill ;  at  some  spots  even 
a  drag  is  used  for  the  wheels  of  carts.  The  streets,  too,  are  crooked 
and  angular — a  perfect  blessing  in  America,  where  they  generally 
run  with  a  despairing  straightness,  like  our  German  everlasting  pop 
lar  alleys.  At  some  corners  of  Boston — which  is  not  like  other 
American  cities,  divided  chess-board-wise  into  blocks — you  actually 
find  surprises :  there  are  real  groups  of  houses.  The  city  has  a 
character  of  its  own,  and  in  some  parts  offers  a  study  for  the  archi 
tect — things  usually  unknown  in  America. 

"  The  limitation  of  the  city  to  a  confined  spot,  and  the  irregular 
ity  of  the  building  style,  may  partly  be  the  cause  that  the  city 
reminds  us  of  Europe.  But  that  the  city  assumed  so  thorough  an 
English  type,  may  be  explained  by  the  circumstance  that  Boston  re 
ceived  an  entirely  English  population.  In  1640,  or  ten  years  after 
its  formation,  it  had  five  thousand  English  denizens,  at  a  period  when 
New  York  was  still  a  small  Dutch  country  town,  under  the  name  of 
New  Amsterdam.  Possibly,  too,  the  circumstance  that  it  was  the 
nearest  seaport  to  England,  may  have  contributed  to  keep  up  old 
English  traditions  here.  The  country  round  Boston  bears  a  remark 
able  likeness  to  an  English  landscape,  and  hence,  no  doubt,  the  State 
obtained  the  name  of  New  England  ;  but  as  in  various  parts  of  New 
England  you  may  fancy  yourself  in  Kent,  so,  when  strolling  about 
the  streets  of  Boston,  you  may  imagine  yourself  in  the  middle  of 
London.  In  both  cities  the  houses  are  built  with  equal  simplicity, 
and  do  not  assume  that  pomp  of  marble  pilasters  and  decoration 
noticeable  at  New  York  and  elsewhere.  The  doors  and  windows, 
the  color  and  shape,  are  precisely  such  as  you  find  in  London.  In 
Boston,  too,  there  is  a  number  of  small  green  squares;  and,  amid 
the  turmoil  of  business,  many  a  quiet  cul  de  sac,  cut  off  from  the  rest 
of  the  street  system. 

"  Externals  of  this  nature  generally  find  their  counterpart  in  the 
manners  and  spirit  of  the  inhabitants,  and  hence  I  believe  that  Bos 
ton  is  still  more  English  and  European  than  any  other  city  of  the 
Union.  This  is  visible  in  many  things ;  for  instance,  in  the  fact  that 
the  police  system  and  public  surveillance  are  more  after  the  European 
style  than  anywhere  else  in  America.  Even  though  it  may  not  be 
*  quite  so  bad '  as  in  London,  it  strikes  visitors  from  the  West  and 
South,  and  hence  they  are  apt  to  abuse  Massachusetts  as  a  police- 
ridden  State.  Even  in  the  fact  that  the  flag  of  the  Revolution  was 
first  raised  in  Boston — and  hence  the  city  is  generally  called  '  The 
Cradle  of  American  Freedom ' — we  may  find  a  further  proof  that 


NOETHEBN  EUEOPEAN  WEITEES.  315 

the  population  was  penetrated  with  the  true  Anglo-Saxon  tempera 
ment. 

"  This  is  specially  perceptible  in  the  scientific  and  social  life  of 
Boston,  which  suits  Europeans  better  than  the  behavior  in  other 
American  towns.  Boston,  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  its  popu 
lation,  has  more  public  and  private  libraries  and  scientific  societies 
than  any  other  metropolis  of  the  Union ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  a 
great  number  of  well-organized  establishments  for  the  sick,  the  poor, 
the  blind,  and  the  insane,  which  are  regarded  as  models  in  the  Uni 
ted  States.  Boston  has,  consequently,  a  fair  claim  to  the  title  of  the 
'American  Athens.'  There  are  upward  of  one  hundred  printing 
offices,  from  which  a  vast  number  of  periodicals  issue.  The  best  and 
oldest  of  these  is  the  North  American  Review,  supplied  with  articles 
by  such  men  as  Prescott,  Everett,  Channing,  Bancroft,  &c.  Among 
the  Boston  periodicals  there  has  existed  for  some  time  past  one  de 
voted  to  heraldry,  the  only  one  of  the  sort  in  the  Union,  which,  per 
haps,  as  a  sign  of  the  aristocratic  temper  of  the  Bostonians,  evidences 
a  deeply  rooted  Anglicanism. 

"  The  Historical  Society  of  Boston  is  the  oldest  of  that  nature  in 
the  country.  Since  the  commencement  of  the  present  century,  it  has 
published  a  number  of  interesting  memoirs ;  and  the  history  of  no 
portion  of  the  Union  has. been  so  zealously  and  thoroughly  investi 
gated  as  that  of  New  England.  The  '  Lowell  Institute,'  established 
and  endowed  by  a  rich  townsman,  is  an  institution  which  works 
more  efficaciously  for  the  extension  of  knowledge  and  education  than 
any  other  of  the  same  character  in  America.  It  offers  such  hand 
some  rewards  for  industry  and  talent,  that  even  the  greatest  scien 
tific  authorities  of  England — for  instance,  Lyell — have  at  times  found 
it  worth  while  to  visit  Boston,  and  lecture  in  the  hall  of  the  Lowell 
Institution.  In  one  of  its  suburbs — Cambridge — Boston  possesses 
Harvard  College,  the  best  and  oldest  university  in  America ;  and  it 
has  also  in  the  heart  of  the  city  a  medical  school.  The  city  library, 
in  its  present  reformed  condition,  surpasses  in  size  and  utility  most 
of  such  establishments  to  be  found  in  Germany. 

"  At  Boston,  too,  private  persons  possess  collections  most  inter 
esting  for  science  and  art,  which  prove  the  existence  of  a  higher 
feeling  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  city.  During  my  short  stay 
there  I  discovered  and  visited  a  considerable  number.  For  instance, 
I  met  with  a  linen  draper,  who  first  showed  me  his  stores  near  the 
waterside,  then  took  me  in  his  carriage  to  his  suburbanum,  where  I 
found,  in  a  wing  expressly  built  for  its  reception,  a  library  contain 
ing  all  the  first  editions  of  the  rarest  works  about  the  discovery  and 
settlement  of  America,  which  are  now  worth  their  weight  in  gold. 


316  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

This  worthy  Boston  tradesman  was  a  very  zealous  member  of  the 
Historical  Society,  and  «has  already  published  several  memoirs  upon 
his  speciality  (the  earliest  history  of  the  American  settlements).  I 
was  also  taken  to  the  villa  of  another  tradesman,  who  made  it  the 
business  of  his  life  to  make  the  most  perfect  collection  of  editions 
of  the  Bible.  His  collection  is  the  only  one  of  the  sort  in  America, 
and,  at  the  time  I  saw  it,  consisted  of  no  less  than  twelve  hundred 
Bibles,  in  every  sort  of  edition  and  shape,  published  in  all  the  lan 
guages  and  countries  of  the  world,  among  them  being  the  greatest 
typographical  rarities.  I  was  also  enabled  to  inspect  a  splendid  col 
lection  of  copperplate  engravings,  equally  belonging  to  a  tradesman  : 
it  consisted  of  many  thousand  plates,  belonging  to  all  schools,  coun 
tries,  and  epochs.  The  owner  has  recently  presented  it  to  Cambridge 
University,  where  it  is  now  being  arranged  by  a  German  connoisseur. 

"  One  evening  I  was  invited  to  the  house  of  a  Boston  tradesman, 
where  I  found,  to  my  surprise,  another  variety  of  artistic  collections. 
It  was  a  partly  historical,  partly  ethnographical  museum,  which  the 
owner  has  arranged  in  a  suite  of  most  elegant  rooms,  and  which  he 
allowed  us  to  inspect  after  tea.  His  speciality  lay  in  weapons  and 
coats  of  mail,  and  the  walls  were  covered  with  magnificent  speci 
mens  bought  up  in  all  parts  of  Europe,  regardless  of  cost.  He  pos 
sesses  all  the  weapons  employed  before  the  invention  of  gunpowder ; 
while  in  an  adjoining  room  were  all  the  blood-letting  tools  of  Japan. 
In  another  was  a  similar  collection  from  China,  and  several  other 
countries.  Never  in  my  life  have  I  seen  so  many  different  forms  of 
knives,  hatchets,  battle  axes,  and  lances  collected  together  as  at  this 
house. 

"  At  the  same  time,  the  company  assembled  on  that  evening  was 
of  great  interest.  Among  others,  we  were  honored  by  the  presence 
of  Fanny  Kemble,  who,  as  is  well  known,  belongs  to  the  United 
States  since  her  marriage  with  an  American.  The  fact  that  this  most 
intellectual  of  artistes  has  selected  Boston  as  her  abode,  will  also 
bear  good  testimony  to  the  character  of  the  city.  During  rny  stay 
in  Boston  she  was  giving  readings  from  Shakspeare,  and  I  heard  her 
in  the  '  Merchant  of  Venice.'  The  readings  took  plnce  in  a  magnifi 
cent  hall  capable  of  containing  two  thousand  persons,  and  it  was 
quite  full.  I  have  frequently  heard  Tieck,  Devrient,  and  many  oth 
ers  of  our  best  dramatic  readers ;  but  I  am  bound  to  say  that  Fanny 
Kemble  is  the  best  of  all  I  ever  heard.  She  is  graceful  in  her  move 
ments,  and  possesses  a  well-formed  chest,  and  an  energetic,  almost 
masculine  organ.  On  the  evening  I  heard  her  she  was  hoarse,  in 
consequence  of  a  cold,  and,  by  her  own  statement,  weak  and  lan 
guid;  but.  for  all  that,  managed  so  admirably  that  nothing  of  the 


NOKTHEKN   EUROPEAN   WEITEKS.  317 

sort  was  perceptible.  She  developed  all  the  male  and  female  parts 
in  the  play— especially  the  Jew's— so  characteristically  and  clearly, 
that  I  could  not  help  fancying  I  had  the  whole  thing  hefore  me,  bril 
liantly  designed  on  Gobelin  tapestry.  She  accompanied  her  reading 
with  lively  gesticulations,  but  did  not  lay  more  stress  on  them  than 
is  usual  in  an  ordinary  reading.  The  Boston  public  were  silent  and 
delighted ;  and  it  is  on  account  of  this  public  that  I  insert  my  re 
marks  about  Fanny  Kemble.  I  was  charmed  with  the  praise  which 
this  excellent  English  lady  bestowed  on  our  German  actors  during  a 
conversation  I  had  with  her.  She  told  me  that  she  preferred  to  see 
Shakspeare  acted  on  a  German  stage,  especially  by  Devrient.  And 
this,  she  added,  was  the  opinion  of  her  father,  Charles  Kemble.  The 
circumstance  that  his  wife  was  a  native  of  Vienna  may  have  contrib 
uted,  however,  to  make  Charles  Kemble  better  acquainted  with  the 
character  of  the  German  stage. 

"  Of  course  it  was  not  in  my  power  to  inspect  all  the  collections  of 
Boston,  and  I  need  scarcely  add  that  I  found  magnificent  libraries  in 
the  houses  of  a  Prescott,  a  Ticknor,  an  Everett,  &c.  In  Boston,  a 
good  deal  of  the  good  old  English  maxim  has  been  kept  up,  that 
every  one  buys  a  book  he  requires.  A  great  quantity  of  rare  and 
handsome  books  wander  from  all  parts  of  Europe  annually  to  these 
libraries.  In  the  same  way  as  the  Emperor  Nicholas  had  his  mili 
tary  agents  in  every  state,  the  Americans  have  their  literary  agents, 
who  eagerly  buy  up  our  books.  In  London  I  was  acquainted  with  a 
gentleman  permanently  residing  there,  who  was  a  formidable  rival  to 
the  British  Museum,  and  found  his  chief  customers  among  the  Bos 
ton  amateurs,  though  he  had  others  in  New  York  and  elsewhere. 

"  When  they  desire  to  satisfy  any  special  craving,  the  Americans 
are  not  a  whit  behind  the  English  in  not  shunning  expense  or  outlay. 
Thus  I  was  introduced,  at  Philadelphia,  to  a  book  collector,  whose 
speciality  was  Shakspeare.  He  had  specimens  of  every  valuable  edi 
tion  of  the  poet's  works.  Only  one  of  the  oldest  and  rarest  editions, 
of  which  but  three  copies  exist,  was  missing  from  his  shelves ;  and 
when  he  heard  that  one  of  these  would  shortly  be  put  up  for  sale  in 
London,  he  sent  a  special  agent  over  with  secret  instructions  and 
carte  Nanche.  He  succeeded,  though  I  am  afraid  to  say  at  what  an 
outlay  of  dollars,  and  the  expensive  book  was  shipped  across  the 
water.  When  it  arrived  at  Philadelphia,  the  overjoyed  owner  in 
vited  all  the  friends  of  Shakspeare  in  the  city,  and  gave  them  a  bril 
liant  party,  at  which  the  jewel — an  old,  rusty  folio — was  displayed 
under  a  brilliant  light  upon  a  gold-embroidered  velvet  cushion.  In 
terminable  toasts  and  speeches  were  given,  and  finally  the  volume 
was  incorporated  in  the  library,  where  it  occupied  but  a  very  small 
space. 


318  AMERICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

"  In  other  American  cities  I  saw  various  remarkable  collections 
of  rarities— as,  for  instance,  Mr.  Lenox's,  at  New  York,  who  has  a 
mania  for  bringing  together  all  the  books,  documents,  and  pamphlets 
referring  to  the  history  of  America.  Mr.  Peter  Force,  of  Washing 
ton,  has  a  similar  one ;  but  I  will  not  stop  to  describe  it,  but  return 
to  Boston,  which  is  to  some  extent  the  metropolis  of  such  collec 
tions. 

"Alexander  von  Humboldt's  library  has  been  made  known  to  the 
world  in  a  copperplate,  but  I  must  confess  that  I  could  draw  a  much 
more  attractive  picture  of  some  of  the  studies  of  the  Boston  savans. 
In  their  arrangement,  in  the  picturesque  setting  out  of  the  books  and 
curiosities,  in  the  writing  tables,  and  chairs,  as  ingenious  as  they  are 
comfortable,  in  the  wealth  of  pictures  and  busts  found  in  these 
rooms,  generally  lighted  from  above,  you  find  a  combination  of  the 
English  desire  for  comfort  and  the  American  yearning  after  external 
splendor.  The  Americans  are  the  only  people  in  the  world  who  pos 
sess  not  merely  merchant  princes,  but  also  author  princes. 

"  I  visited  several  of  these  distinguished  men  in  their  spacious 
and  elegant  studies.  One  morning  I  was  taken  to  the  house  of  the 
celebrated  Edward  Everett,  one  of  the  great  men  of  Boston,  who, 
first  as  preacher,  then  as  professor  of  Greek,  and  lastly  as  author  and 
speaker,  has  attained  so  prominent  a  position  in  the  Union,  and  is 
still  an  active  and  busied  man  in  spite  of  sixty  odd  years  having 
passed  over  his  head.  Any  remarkable  book  a  man  may  have  writ 
ten,  or  any  sort  of  notoriety  that  brings  him  before  the  public,  can 
be  employed  in  America  as  political  capital,  and  lead  to  position  and 
influence  in  the  state.  The  preacher  and  professor,  Everett,  who  for 
a  season  edited  the  North  American  Review,  and  very  cleverly  praised 
and  defended  in  its  pages  the  manners  and  Constitution  of  his  coun 
try,  soon  after  became,  in  consequence  of  his  writings,  member  of 
Congress,  a  leader  of  the  old  "Whig  party,  Governor  of  Massachu 
setts,  and  lastly  a  diplomatist  and  American  ambassador  to  England. 
Like  many  American  politicians  who  have  held  the  latter  office,  he 
was  frequently  proposed  as  candidate  for  the  Presidency,  but  did  not 
reach  the  chair,  because  the  old  Whigs  had  lost  much  of  their  former 
influence.  On  the  final  dissolution  of  his  party,  Everett  devoted 
himself  to  the  sciences  and  belles  lettres.  At  the  time  when  I  formed 
his  acquaintance,  he  was  engaged  in  delivering  a  public  lecture  in  all 
the  cities  of  the  Union  on  the  character  of  Washington.  The  great 
man's  qualities  naturally  had  a  brilliant  light  thrown  on  them,  and, 
in  comparison  with  our  renowned  monarchs,  such  as  Frederick  the 
Great,  Joseph  II.,  and  Napoleon  I.,  the  latter  came  off  second  best. 
Everett  had  learned  his  lecture  by  heart,  and  delivered  it  with  great 


NORTHERN   EUROPEAN   WRITERS.  319 

emphasis  and  considerable  success,  though  I  confess  that  when  I 
heard  it  I  could  not  conscientiously  bestow  such  praise  on  it  as  did 
the  patriotic  Americans.  In  order  that  the  lecture  might  not  lose 
the  charm  of  novelty,  all  the  American  papers  were  requested  to 
give  no  short-hand  report  of  it :  hence  it  remained  unknown  in  each 
city  until  the  lecturer  had  publicly  delivered  it.  Everett  saved  up 
his  earnings  for  a  patriotic  object — namely,  the  purchase  of  Wash 
ington's  estate  of  Mount  Yernon,  for  which  purpose  a  ladies'  com 
mittee  had  been  formed.  In  1857,  Everett  had  collected  more  than 
forty  thousand  dollars  toward  this  object.  There  is  hardly  another 
country  besides  America  in  Avhich  such  a  sum  could  be  collected  by 
reading  a  lecture  of  a  few  pages,  however  effective  it  might  be. 
Moreover,  the  whole  affair  is  characteristic  of  the  land  and  that  is 
why  I  have  related  it. 

u  Boston  has  ever  been  not  only  the  birthplace,  but  the  gathering 
ground  of  celebrated  men.  In  politics  it  frequently  rivalled  Vir 
ginia,  while  in  the  production  of  poets  and  literary  men  it  stands  far 
above  all  other  cities  of  the  Union.  Starting  from  Benjamin  Frank 
lin,  who  was  born  on  one  of  the  small  islands  in  Boston  harbor, 
down  to  Everett  and  his  contemporaries,  there  has  never  been  a  de 
ficiency  of  great  and  remarkable  men  in  the  city.  Hancock,  who 
drew  up  with  Jefferson  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  lived 
in  Boston ;  and  the  most  distinguished  of  the  few  Presidents  the 
North  has  produced— the  two  Adamses — belonged  to  Boston,  where 
they  began  and  closed  their  career.  Daniel  Webster,  the  greatest 
American  orator  of  recent  times,  received  his  education  in  Boston, 
and  spent  all  that  portion  of  his  life  there  when  he  was  not  engaged 
at  Washington.  There  are,  in  fact,  entire  families  in  Boston — as,  for 
instance,  the  Winthrops,  Bigelows,  &c. — which  have  been  rich  in 
talented  persons  ever  since  the  foundation  of  the  city. 

"  When  I  visited  Boston  in  1857,  the  circle  of  celebrated,  influen 
tial,  and  respected  men  was  not  small,  and  I  had  opportunity  to  form 
the  acquaintance  of  several  of  them.  Unfortunately,  I  knocked  to 
no  purpose  at  the  door  of  the  liberal  and  gifted  Theodore  Parker, 
whose  house  is  ever  open  to  Germans.  The  noble,  equally  liberal, 
and  high-hearted  Chauning,  whose  pious,  philanthropic,  and  philo 
sophic  writings  I  had  admired  from  my  earliest  youth,  and  who  had 
labored  here  as  the  apostle  of  the  Unitarians,  I  only  found  repre 
sented  by  a  son,  who  does  honor  to  his  great  father's  memory.  The 
Websters  and  Adamses  had  also  been  dead  for  some  years,  though  I 
formed  the  acquaintance  of  several  of  their  personal  friends,  who 
told  me  numerous  anecdotes  about  them. 

"I  am  sorry  to  say,  too,  I  missed  seeing  George  Ticknor,  the 


320  AMERICA   AND   HEK   COMMENTATORS. 

great  historian  of  Spanish  literature,  a  true  child  of  Boston,  where 
he  was  born  and  educated,  and  where  he  spends  his  time  in  study 
when  he  is  not  travelling  in  Europe,  which  was  unfortunately  the 
case  at  the  period  of  my  visit.  I  saw  nothing  of  him  but  his  splen 
did  Spanish  library,  which  he  exclusively  collected  for  the  purpose 
of  his  classical  work,  which  has  been  translated  into  almost  every 
language. 

"As  a  compensation,  Prescott,  who  was  summoned  away  some 
time  ago,  to  the  regret  of  all  his  friends,  was  at  home  to  receive  me, 
and  he  was  one  of  the  most  amiable  men  I  ever  met.  I  saw  him 
both  at  his  own  house  and  in  society,  and  greedily  took  advantage  of 
every  opportunity  that  offered  for  approaching  him.  As  he  was  de 
scended  from  an  old  New  England  family,  and  was  educated,  and 
lived,  and  worked  almost  entirely  in  Boston — he  had  only  visited 
Europe  once,  and  had  travelled  but  little  in  the  United  States — I 
could  consider  him  as  a  true  child  of  Boston,  and  as  an  example  of 
the  best  style  of  education  that  city  is  enabled  to  offer.  He  was  a 
man  of  extremely  dignified  and  agreeable  manners,  and  a  thorough 
gentleman  in  his  behavior.  I  met  but  few  Americans  so  distin 
guished  by  elegance  and  politeness ;  and  when  I  first  met  him,  and 
before  knowing  his  name,  I  took  him  for  a  diplomatist.  He  had  not 
the  slightest  trace  of  the  dust  of  books  and  learning,  and,  although 
he  had  been  hard  at  work  all  day,  when  he  emerged  into  daylight 
he  was  a  perfect  man  of  the  world.  I  found  in  him  a  great  resem 
blance,  both  in  manner  and  features,  with  that  amiable  Frenchman 
Mignet.  He  was  at  that  time  long  past  his  sixtieth  birthday,  and  yet 
his  delicate,  nobly-chiselled  face  possessed  such  a  youthful  charm  that 
he  could  fascinate  young  ladies.  In  society  his  much-regretted  weak 
ness  of  sight  was  hardly  perceptible ;  and  at  dinner  he  made  such 
good  use  of  his  limited  vision,  that  he  could  help  himself  without 
attracting  the  slightest  attention.  He  frequently  remarked  that  this 
weakness  of  sight,  which  others  lamented  so  greatly,  was  the  chief 
cause  of  his  devoting  himself  to  historical  studies.  Still  it  impeded 
his  studies  greatly  ;  for  he  was  obliged  to  send  persons,  at  a  terrible 
expense,  to  copy  the  documents  he  required  in  the  archives  of  Spain. 
He  could  only  employ  these  documents  and  other  references — par 
tially,  at  any  rate — through  readers.  He  was  obliged  to  prepare 
much  in  his.  mind  and  then  dictate  it,  without  the  help  of  his  hand 
and  fingers,  which,  as  every  author  knows,  offer  such  aid  to  the  head, 
and,  as  it  were,  assist  in  thinking.  At  times  he  could  only  write  by 
the  help  of  a  machine  that  guided  his  hand.  I  say  purposely  'at 
times,'  for  every  now  and  then  the  sight  of  his  own  eyes  became  so 
excellent  and  strong,  that  he  could  undertake  personally  the  me- 


NORTHERN    EUROPEAN   WRITERS.  321 

chanical  part  of  his  labor.  Still,  literature  is  indebted  to  Prescott's 
semi-blindness  for  his  elaborate  historical  works  on  Pern,  Mexico, 
Isabella,  and  Philip  II. ;  for,  had  he  kept  the  sight  of  both  eyes,  he 
would  have  continued  the  career  he  had  already  begun  as  barrister, 
and  in  all  probability  have  ended  as  a  politician  and  a  statesman. 

"Another  somewhat  younger  literary  talent  Boston  was  proud  of 
at  that  period,  was  Motley,  the  historian,  who  in  many  respects  may 
be  placed  side  by  side  with  Prescott.  Like  him, -he  also  belongs  to  a 
wealthy  and  respected  Boston  family  ;  and  like  him,  too,  he  has  de 
voted  himself  to  history,  through  pure  love.  His  union  with  the 
Muse  is  no  marriage  de  convenance,  but  he  entered  into  it  through  a 
hearty  affection.  The  subject  that  Motley  selected,  '  The  History  of 
the  Netherlands  in  the  Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth  Centuries,'  had  a 
special  interest  for  his  countrymen.  At  that  period  Holland  was 
remarkably  influential  all  over  the  New  World,  and,  inter  alia,  laid 
the  foundations  of  New  York  State.  This  State  and  its  still  some 
what  Dutch  inhabitants  consequently  regard  the  Netherlands  to  some 
extent  as  the  mother  country,  and  their  history  as  a  portion  of  their 
own.  They  feel  as  much  interested  in  it  as  the  French  do  in  the  his 
tory  of  the  Franks  in  Germany.  Moreover,  they  like  to  compare  an 
event  like  the  insurrection  of  the  Netherlands  against  Spain  with 
their  own  revolt  against  England.  Motley,  therefore,  selected  a  very 
popular  theme.  After  learning  something  of  the  world  as  attache 
to  the  American  embassy  at  Petersburg,  he  travelled  in  Germany, 
and  stayed  for  several  years  at  Dresden,  the  Hague,  and  other  Euro 
pean  cities,  in  order  to  employ  the  libraries  for  his  purpose.  Nine 
years  ago,  he  read  to  a  small  circle  of  friends  in  Dresden,  myself 
among  the  number,  extracts  from  his  historical  work — for  instance, 
his  description  of  the  execution  of  Counts  Egmont  and  Horn — and 
then  returned  to  America,  where  he  published  it.  This  work  was  a 
great  success ;  and  when  I  met  Motley  again  at  Boston,  he  had  just 
been  crowned  with  laurel.  He  was  a  handsome  man,  in  the  prime 
of  life,  with  dark  curly  hair.  Unluckily,  he  did  not  like  his  country 
sufficiently  well  to  remain  in  it,  and  returned  quickly  to  Europe,  dur 
ing  my  visit  to  Boston.  Perhaps  he  had  lived  too  long  upon  our  con 
tinent,  and  had  not  the  patience  to  go  through  the  process  of  re- 
Americanizing,  to  which  an  American  who  has  long  been  absent  is 
bound  to  subject  himself.  He  proceeded  to  London,  where  he  re 
sided  several  years,  continuing  his  studies,  and  always  a  welcome 
guest  in  fashionable  society,  until  the  recent  troubles  forced  him  to 
return  home. 

"  We  might  fairly  speak  of  a  thorough  historical  school  of  Bos 
ton,  for  nearly  ail  the  recent  remarkable  historians  of  America  have 
14* 


322  AMERICA   AND    HER   COMMENTATORS. 

issued  from  this  school.  Among  these  I  may  specially  mention 
George  Bancroft,  who  has  selected  the  history  of  his  native  land  as 
his  special  study.  His  career  has  a  great  likeness  to  that  of  Everett : 
like  him,  he  went  to  Gottingen  when  a  young  man,  and  acquired  his 
tendency  for  historic  research  from  Ileeren,  Eichhorn,  and  Schlosser. 
Like  Everett,  he  began  his  career  as  a  professor  at  Cambridge  Uni 
versity,  and  like  him,  also,  his  talent  and  the  growing  popularity  of 
his  books  led  him  up  to  important  offices  and  posts  under  Govern 
ment.  He  was  for  a  time  secretary  to  the  navy  at  Washington,  then 
American  ambassador  in  England,  and  at  last,  as  he  was  not  success 
ful  in  politics,  like  Everett,  he  retired  from  public  life  into  the  calmer 
atmosphere  of  his  study,  where  he  has  remained  for  several  years, 
dividing  his  time  between  literary  work  and  pleasant  society.  Dur 
ing  the  winter  he  now  resides  at  New  York,  and  during  the  summer 
at  a  charming  villa  near  that  pretty  little  watering  place,  Newport, 
on  Narraganset  Bay,  whence  he  pays  a  visit  now  and  then,  though, 
to  his  old  Boston.  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  visit  this  active  and 
energetic  historian  at  both  his  winter  and  summer  abode.  At  New 
York,  he  passes  the  whole  winter  shut  up  in  his  splendid  library, 
like  a  bee  in  his  honey  cell.  In  the  midst  of  the  turmoil  of  business, 
his  lamp  may  be  seen  glimmering  at  an  early  hour  ;  and  he  lights  it 
himself,  as  he  does  his  fire,  in  order  not  to  spoil  the  temper  of  his 
lazy  American  helps  for  the  day. 

"  I  am  forced  to  remark  that  the  result  of  my  observations  is,  that 
this  zeal  and  this  'help  yourself  are  no  rarity  among  American 
men  of  letters.  Thus  I  always  remember  with  pleasure  old  Senator 
Benton,  whose  '  History  of  the  American  Congress,'  although  an  ex 
cellently  written  work,  and  a  thorough  mine  in  which  to  study  the 
politics,  parties,  and  prominent  men  of  America,  is,  unfortunately, 
but  little  known  on  this  side  the  water.  This  brave  old  Roman  Ben- 
ton,  of  Missouri,  a  man  otherwise  greatly  attacked  for  his  vanity  and 
eccentricities,  I  remember  seeing,  one  morning  at  six,  lighting  his 
fire,  boiling  his  coffee,  and  then  devoting  the  morning  hours  to 
his  History. 

"  This  Benton  was,  at  that  period,  above  seventy  years  of  age, 
and  long  a  grandfather.  He  wrote  his  '  History '  with  so  firm  and 
current  a  hand,  that  the  copy  went  almost  uncorrected  from  his  table 
to  the  printing  office,  and  within  a  few  months  entire  volumes  could 
be  worked  off.  And  yet  he  could  only  devote  his  morning  and  late 
evening  hours  to  the  task  ;  for,  so  long  as  the  sun  was  up,  he  thought 
it  his  duty  to  take  part  in  the  debates  of  Congress  and  quarrel  in  the 
committee  rooms.  At  times,  he  broke  his  labors  entirely  off,  because 
he  considered  it  necessary  to  take  a  trip  to  Missouri,  and  agitate  for 


NORTHERN    EUROPEAN    WRITERS.  323 

some  political  purpose  or  other.  One  evening,  it  happened  that  his 
entire  library,  with  all  the  manuscripts  it  contained,  fell  a  prey  to 
the  flames.  He  had  temporarily  taken  up  his  quarters  in  a  small 
wooden  house  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Capitol,  which  caught  fire. 

u  These  fires  are  an  almost  regular  and  constantly  menacing  ca 
lamity  to  American  authors,  their  libraries,  and  manuscripts.  During 
my  short  stay  in  the  United  States,  I  heard  of  a  whole  series  of  cases 
in  which  valuable  literary  undertakings  were  completely  interrupted 
by  fire.  Senator  Benton,  on  the  occasion  to  which  I  refer,  lost  his 
entire  library,  a  large  portion  of  manuscript  ready  for  the  press,  and 
a  heap  of  materials,  extracts,  and  references,  which  he  had  collected 
for  a  new  volume  of  his  '  History.'  As  I  was  on  rather  intimate 
terms  with  him  and  his  family,  and,  as  an  author  myself,  felt  a  spe 
cial  compassion  for  him,  I  visited  him  a  few  days  after  to  offer  him 
my  sympathy.  As  it  happened,  President  Pierce  came  up  at  the 
same  moment,  and  for  the  same  object.  We  found  the  aged  man,  to 
our  surprise  and  admiration,  not  in  the  slightest  degree  affected  or 
excited.  He  had  removed  from  the  ruins  to  the  house  of  his  son-in- 
law,  the  celebrated  traveller  Fremont,  had  had  a  new  table  put  to 
gether,  and  was  busy  rewriting  his  manuscript.  With  Anglo-Saxon 
coolness  and  a  pleasant  face,  which  reminded  me  of  the  stoic  referred 
to  by  Montaigne,  who  did  not  allow  himself  to  be  disturbed  in  his 
speech  when  a  dog  tore  a  piece  out  of  the  calf  of  his  leg,  he  told  us 
the  story  of  the  burning  of  his  books.  Mr.  Benton  allowed  that  a 
quarto  volume  of  his  work,  with  all  the  materials  belonging  to  it, 
was  entirely  destroyed ;  but  he  said,  with  a  smile,  while  tossing  a 
little  grandchild  on  his  knee,  '  It  is  no  use  crying  over  spilled  milk.' 
He  had  begun  his  work  afresh  on  the  next  day,  and  retained  in  his 
head  most  of  what  he  had  written  down.  He  hoped  that  he  should 
be  able  to  collect  once  more  the  necessary  materials — partly,  at  any 
rate — and  he  expected  that  the  printing  would  not  be  delayed  for 
many  days. 

"  This  man,  in  his  present  position — and  there  could  not  be  a 
more  lamentable  one  for  an  author — appeared  to  me  like  an  old  Eo- 
man.  And,  in  truth,  old  Senator  Benton  had  something  thoroughly 
Eoman  in  his  features,  just  as  you  might  expect  to  find  on  an  ancient 
coin.  And  all  this  was  the  more  remarkable  to  me,  because  I  dis 
covered  such  an  internal  value  in  a  man  who  in  the  external  world 
afforded  such  scope  for  jibes.  In  Congress  I  saw  him  twice  play  the 
part  of  a  quarrelsome  and  impotent  old  man.  At  times — especially 
when  he  marched  into  the  field  to  support  the  claims  of  his  son-in- 
law  Fremont,  or  any  other  distinguished  members  of  his  family  of 
whom  he  was  proud,  and  whom  he  thought  he  must  take  under  his 


324-  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

wing,  like  a  patriarch  of  old — he  grew  so  excited,  that  the  President 
several  times  tried  in  vain  to  stop  him.  Once  I  saw  him  leave  Con 
gress  cursing  and  gesticulating,  and  loudly  declaring  that  he  would 
never  again  appear  in  that  assembly.  "When,  too,  he  rode  up  and 
down  the  main  street  of  Washington,  with  his  grandson  on  a  little 
pony  by  his  side,  and  keeping  as  close  as  possible  to  the  pavement, 
that  he  might  be  bowed  to  by  the  ladies  and  gentlemen,  they  cer 
tainly  saluted,  but  afterward  ridiculed  the  '  great  man.'  Hence  it 
caused  me  special  pleasure,  I  repeat,  to  recognize  in  so  peculiar  a  man 
an  inner  worth,  and  find  the  opportunity  to  say  something  in  his 
praise.  After  all,  there  were  heroes  among  the  wearers  of  full-bot 
tomed  wigs  and  pigtails. 

"Since  then,  the  inexorable  subduer  of  all  heroes  has  removed  old 
Senator  Benton  forever  from  his  terrestrial  activity.  He  was  enabled 
stoically  to  withstand  the  fire ;  but  death,  which  caught  him  up  four 
years  ago,  did  not  allow  him  to  complete  his  work.  Still,  the  frag 
ments  of  it  that  lie  before  us  contain  extraordinarily  useful  matter 
for  the  history  of  the  Union  from  the  beginning  of  this  century,  and 
I  therefore  recommend  them  strongly  to  public  writers  at  the  pres 
ent  moment,  when  everybody  wishes  to  know  everything  about 
America.  But  I  will  now  return  to  Boston. 

"In  the  hot  summer,  when  Longfellow,  Agassiz,  and  other  dis 
tinguished  men  of  Boston  fly  to  the  rock  of  Nahant,  Bancroft,  as 
I  said,  seeks  shelter  on  the  airy  beach  of  Newport ;  and  I  remember, 
with  great  pleasure,  the  interesting  trip  I  took  thither  for  the  pur 
pose  of  spending  a  couple  of  days  with  the  historian.  The  pleasant 
little  town  of  Newport,  which  a  hundred  years  back  was  a  promis 
ing  rival  of  New  York,  is  now  only  known  as  the  most  fashionable 
watering  place  in  the  Union.  Most  of  the  upper  ten,  as  well  as  the 
politicians  and  diplomatists  of  Washington,  congregate  here  in  July 
and  August.  Splendid  steamers,  some  coming  from  New  York 
through  Long  Island  Sound,  others  from  Boston  through  the  archi 
pelago  of  Narraganset  Bay,  bring  up  hundreds  of  people  daily.  On 
one  of  these  green  islands  in  the  bay,  Newport  is  built,  surrounded 
by  a  number  of  villas  and  gardens,  which  stretch  out  along  the 
beach.  And  one  of  these  hospitable  villas  belongs  to  the  celebrated 
historian,  who  in  that  character,  and  as  ex-minister  and  statesman, 
is  reverently  regarded  as  one  of  the  '  lions '  of  Newport. 

"  When  I  entered  his  house,  at  a  late  hour,  I  found  him  sur 
rounded  by  the  ladies  of  his  family,  to  whom  he  was  reading  a 
newly  finished  chapter  of  his  '  History  '  from  the  manuscript.  He 
invited  me  to  listen,  and  told  me  that  it  was  his  constant  practice  to 
read  his  works  in  this  fashion  in  the  domestic  circle,  and  take  the 


NORTHERN   EUROPEAN   WRITERS.  .325 

opinion  of  his  hearers,  but,  above  all,  of  his  amiable  and  highly  edu 
cated  wife.  This,  he  said  to  me,  was  the  best  way  of  discovering 
any  lack  of  clearness  or  roughness  of  style,  and  after  this  trial  he 
made  his  final  corrections. 

"  Newport  is  also  known,  to  those  versed  in  American  antiqui 
ties,  as  the  spot  where  an  old  octagonal  building  still  stands,  which 
the  Danish  savans  believe  to  have  been  erected  long  prior  to  Colum 
bus,  and  which  they  consider  was  built  by  the  old  Norman  seafarers 
and  heroes  who  visited  America  about  the  year  1000.  This  monu 
ment  was  very  interesting  to  me  to  visit  in  the  company  of  the  his 
torian  of  the  United  States,  even  though  the  townspeople  regard  it 
as  the  foundation  of  an  old  windmill,  that  belonged  to  a  former  in 
habitant  of  Newport.  Bancroft  was  of  opinion  that  the  good  people 
of  Newport  were  more  likely  to  hit  the  truth  than  the  scientific  men 
of  Copenhagen.  I,  too,  after  an  inspection,  in  situ,  consider  the 
opinion  of  the  latter  so  little  founded,  that  it  is  hardly  worth  contra 
dicting.  As  is  well  known,  to  the  south  of  New  England,  in  the 
middle  of  a  swamp  on  Taunton  Eiver,  there  is  a  huge  rock  covered 
with  all  sorts  of  grooves  and  marks,  which  the  Danish  savans  regard 
as  a  Kunic  inscription,  also  emanating  from  the  Normans.  The 
Danes  have  even  gone  so  far  as  to  decipher  the  word  'Thorfiun,'  as 
the  name  of  one  of  the  Norman  heroes,  while  others  believe  that 
they  are  marks  and  memoranda  made  by  an  Indian  hand;  while 
others,  again,  are  of  opinion  that  the  grooves  and  scratches  are 
produced  by  natural  causes. 

u  Bancroft  described  to  me  the  difficulties  he  experienced  -in 
reaching  this  rock — at  one  moment  wading  through  the  water,  at 
another  forcing  his  way  through  scrub.  He  was,  however,  unable 
to  convince  himself  of  the  truth  of  any  one  of  the  above  three 
hypotheses ;  and  hence,  in  his  *  History  of  the  United  States,'  he 
could  only  say  that  the  much-discussed  Taunton  Eiver  inscription 
did  not  afford  a  certainty  of  the  presence  of  the  Normans  in  these 
parts.  But  I  must  hasten  back  to  Boston,  where  I  have  many  an 
excellent  friend  awaiting  me. 

"  First  of  all  rises  before  my  mental  eye  the  image  of  that  noble 
senator,  Charles  Sumner,  one  of  the  most  honored  men  of  Boston, 
whom  I  visited  not  only  here  in  his  birthplace,  where  he  spends  his 
leisure  hours  with  his  mother  and  relatives,  but  also  at  Washington, 
where  he  was  delivering  his  bold  and  fiery  speeches  against  slavery. 
While  at  the  capital,  I  heard  him  deliver  that  magnificent  speech 
which,  although  it  lasted  for  several  hours,  was  listened  to  in  speech 
less  silence  by  the  whole  Senate,  even  by  the  Southern  members  who 
were  boiling  over  with  fury,  and  entailed  on  this  noble  man  the  bru- 


326  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

tal  attack  from  one  of  the  chivalry  of  the  South,  which  laid  him  on 
a  bed  of  sickness  for  weeks,  where  he  hovered  between  life  and 
death. 

"  How  painful  and  sad  it  was  to  see  this  tall  and  stately  man 
felled  like  a  pine  tree,  and  writhing  in  agony  on  his  couch!  His 
noble  face,  in  which  his  lofty  intellect  and  towering  mind  spoke  out, 
was  swollen  and  lacerated,  as  if  he  had  been  under  the  claws  of  a 
bear.  English,  Germans,  French,  Spaniards,  and  Italians  were  the 
first  to  hurry  to  him  on  the  day  of  the  outrage,  to  display  their  sym 
pathy  and  respect,  and  lay  a  crown  of  honor  on  his  bleeding  temples. 
With  this  great  man,  after  his  return  from  Europe,  and  several  kin 
dred  spirits,  I  used  to  spend  pleasant  evenings  en  petit  comite  in  Bos 
ton,  and  felt  delighted  at  the  opportunity  of  discussing  with  them  the 
great  questions  of  the  day.  Not  so  pleasant,  though  equally  remark 
able,  were  my  feelings  when  I  returned  home  at  night  from  such  an 
intellectual  and  sympathizing  circle,  and  was  compelled  to  listen  to 

the  expectorations  of  a  Colonel  B ,  of  Carolina,  who  lodged  in 

the  same  hotel.  He  made  it  a  point  to  lie  in  ambush  for  me  every 
night,  to  smoke  a  cigar,  drink  a  glass  of  grog,  and  take  the  opportu 
nity  of  explaining  to  me  his  views  about  the  North.  Although  he 
had  travelled  in  France  and  Germany,  associated  with  the  nobility, 
and  belonged  to  the  Southern  aristocracy,  the  Colonel  was  so  full  of 
prejudices  against  the  North,  that  he  walked  about  among  the  New 
Englanders  of  Boston  like  a  snarling  sheep  dog  among  a  flock  of 
lambs.  He  '  pished '  and  '  pshawed,'  even  abused  loudly  and  bitterly 
all  he  saw,  both  the  men — the  accursed  Yankees,  their  narrow- 
hearted  views,  their  stiff  regulations,  their  unpolished  manners — as 
well  as  things,  such  as  the  Northern  sky,  the  scenery,  the  towns,  vil 
lages,  and  country  houses.  All  that  Boston  or  a  Bostonian  had  or 
possessed  seemed  to  him  infected  with  abolitionism.  He  would  even 
look  on,  with  "a  sarcastic  smile,  when,  during  our  conversation,  I 
stroked  a  pretty  little  spaniel  belonging  to  a  Boston  lady.  He  could 
not  endure  this  Boston  animal,  and  if  ever  it  came  within  his  reach 
he  was  sure  to  give  it  a  harmless  kick.  Nothing  was  right  with  him, 
of  course — least  of  all  the  Boston  newspapers,  in  which  he  pointed 
out  to  me  articles  every  evening,  which,  according  to  his  opinion, 
were  horrible,  perfidious,  atheistical,  full  of  gall  and  poison,  although 
I  could  not  discover  anything  of  the  sort  in  them  when  he  read  them 
aloud  to  me  with  many  gesticulations.  To  the  people  who  sur 
rounded  us  he  generally  behaved  politely,  because,  as  I  said,  he  was 
a  Southern  gentleman,  and  did  not  let  it  be  seen  how  his  heart  heaved 
and  boiled.  But  if  any  one  took  up  the  cudgels  with  him,  merely 
expressed  an  opinion  that  had  the  remotest  connection  with  the  sla- 


NORTHERN   EUROPEAN   WRITERS.  327 

very  question,  or  smelled  of  abolitionism,  he  would  break  out  into 
the  most  enthusiastic  diatribes  in  defence  of  the  peculiar  institution. 
His  glances  would  become  passionate,  and  his  tone  insulting.  He 
appeared  evidently  bent  on  war,  and  I  was  often  surprised  that  the 
Yankees  put  up  with  so  much  from  him,  and  let  him  escape  with  a 
whole  skin.  In  the  South,  had  a  Northerner  gone  to  one  tenth  of 
the  same  excess,  it  would  have  been  enough  to  hand  him  over  to  the 
tender  mercies  of  Judge  Lynch. 

"  If  I  asked  him  why  he  had  come  to  this  North,  which  he  so 
heartily  despised,  he  would  reply  that,  unhappily,  his  physicians  had 
found  it  necessary  to  send  him  into  this  exile  for  the  sake  of  his 
health  ;  and  he  had  long  had  an  intention  of  visiting,  on  the  North 
ern  lakes,  the  poor  Indians  who  were  so  shamefully  maltreated  by 
the  Yankees.  The  sufferings  of  these  unhappy  tribes,  who  perished 
beneath  the  heel  of  the  oppressor,  and  pined  away  in  their  shameful 
fetters,  had  long  touched  his  heart.  He  could  never  think  of  them 
without  emotion,  and  he  now  intended  to  go  as  far  as  the  cataracts 
of  St.  Anthony  to  give  the  Sioux  a  feast,  and  offer  them  some  relief 
from  their  shameful  martyrdom.  I  remembered  that  I  had  once 
before  noticed  the  same  compassion  for  the  Indians  in  a  Southern 
slaveowner,  and  consequently  that  it  is,  in  all  probability,  traditional 
among  these  people,  to  answer  the  reproaches  cast  on  them  for  slave- 
holding,  by  accusing  their  hostile  brethren  of  ill-treating  the  Indians. 
Although  I  in  no  way  shared  my  Southern  friend's  views  of  sla 
very  and  abolition,  but  was  generally  in  the  opposition,  as  a  foreigner 
I  did  not  seem  to  him  so  utterly  repulsive  as  these  God-forgotten 
Yankees.  At  first,  at  any  rate,  he  believed  that  he  should  not  be 
washing  a  blackamoor  white  with  me.  If  I  only  would  visit  the 
South,  he  expressed  his  opinion  I  should  be  speedily  converted,  and 
grow  enthusiastic  for  his  side.  Hence  he  condescended  to  argue  with 
and  instruct  me,  while  he  gnashed  his  teeth  at  his  Northern  country 
men  when  they  dared  to  address  him  on  the  vexed  question.  Toward 
the  end,  however,  I  began  to  perceive  that  he  was  giving  me  up  as 
incorrigible,  and  extended  his  enmity  to  me  as  well.  We  at  length 
parted,  not  exactly  as  sympathetic  souls  ;  and  when  I  now  think  of 
my  Southerner  stalking  about  Boston  like  a  tornado  in  a  human 
shape,  I  do  not  understand  how  it  was  that  I  did  not  then  see  civil 
war  ante  fores  in  that  country. 

"  It  may  be  imagined  what  a  relief,  joy,  and  comfort  it  was  for 
me,  after  the  stormy  evenings  I  spent  with  the  Southerner,  to  be  in 
vited  the  following  day  to  a  dinner  table,  where  I  found  all  the  men 
with  whom  I  sympathized,  and  whom  I  respected,  assembled.  The 
old  Flemish  painters,  in  their  fruit  and  flower  pieces,  and  in  what  is 


AMERICA   AND    HER   COMMENTATORS. 

called  '  still  life,'  have  striven  to  represent  the  roast  meats,  wine- 
flasks,  crystal  glasses,  grapes,  and  oranges  which  decorated  the  tables 
of  their  rich  contemporaries.  But  how  can  I  depict  such  a  dinner  at 
Boston,  where  a  Longfellow  took  the  chair,  an  Agassiz  acted  as 
croupier,  a  Prescott  was  my  left,  a  Motley  my  right  hand  neighbor, 
and  where  my  vis-d-vis  was  a  tall,  thin,  dry-looking  man,  who,  I  was 
told,  was  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson  ?  Between  the  epergnes  and  flower 
vases  I  could  see  also  the  characteristic  features  of  noble  and  distin 
guished  men  ;  the  gray  head  of  a  Winthrop,  or  the  animated  face  of 
such  a  benefactor  to  humanity  as  Dr.  Howe,  whom  the  blind  and 
the  deaf  and  dumb  combine  to  bless.  When  I  reflect  how  rare  such 
highly  gifted  men  are  in  the  world,  and  how  much  more  rare  it  is  to 
be  enabled  to  see  a  dozen  of  them  sitting  together  cheerfully  and 
socially  over  their  wine,  I  find  that  we  cannot  sufficiently  value  such 
moments  which  accidents  produce,  and  which,  perhaps,  never  again 
occur  in  the  traveller's  life.  When  we  read  such  books  as  those  of 
Mrs.  Trollope,  Captain  Basil  Hall,  or  Dickens,  we  might  suppose  that 
there  is  nothing  in  America  that  can  be  called  '  good  society.'  But 
when  a  man  finds  himself  in  such  company  as  fell  to  my  lot  in  Bos 
ton,  he  begins  to  think  differently,  and  is  at  length  disposed  to  allow 
that  in  America  a  good  tone  peculiar  to  the  country,  and  possessing 
highly  characteristic  qualities,  exists.  I  concede  that  it  is  rare,  and 
I  believe  that  the  American,  in  order  to  appropriate  this  tone,  must 
have  passed  the  ocean  several  times  between  America  and  Europe ; 
in  this,  imitating  his  twice-across-the-line  Madeira  (which,  by  the 
by,  is  magnificent  in  some  Boston  houses).  The  American,  as  a  rule, 
becomes  really  full  flavored  in  and  through  Europe.  What  I  would 
assert,  though,  is,  that  the  American  has  a  peculiar  material  to  take 
the  polish  which  Europe  can  impart,  and  that,  when  he  has  rubbed 
off  his  American  horns — for  it  is  quite  certain  that  the  American  is 
as  much  of  a  greenhorn  in  Europe  as  the  European  seems  to  be  in 
the  United  States — a  species  of  polish  is  visible,  which  possesses  its 
peculiar  merit,  and  nothing  like  it  is  to  be  found  in  Europe.  There 
is  no  trace  of  mannerism  or  affectation ;  none  of  that  insipid  polite 
ness,  prudery,  and  superfinedom  into  which  Europeans  are  so  apt  to 
fall.  In  the  well-educated  American  we  meet  with  a  great  simplicity 
of  manner,  and  a  most  refreshing  masculine  dignity.  Both  in  Bos 
ton  and  New  York  I  visited  private  clubs,  and  met  gentlemen  belong 
ing  to  the  bar,  the  church,  the  mercantile  classes,  &c.,  who  possessed 
all  these  qualities  in  an  eminent  degree.  In  these  small  retired  clubs 
— they  may  have  been  select,  and  I  am  unable  to  decide  how  many 
of  the  sort  may  exist — humor  and  merriment  were  so  well  controlled, 
wit  and  jesting  were  so  pleasantly  commingled  with  what  was  seri 
ous  and  instructive,  that  I  never  knew  pleasanter  places  for  men." 


NORTHERN   EUROPEAN   WRITERS.  329 

In  our  inadequate  because  inevitably  brief  summary  of 
German  writers  on  America,  should  not  be  forgotten  the 
learned  widow  of  the  lamented  Professor  Edward  Robinson, 
who,  among  other  notable  writings  published  under  the  name 
of  "Talvi,"  gave  to  her  countrymen  (Leipsic,  1847)  "The 
Colonization  of  New  England  " — an  able  historical  digest  of 
the  early  history  of  that  region  and  people,  subsequently 
translated  by  a  son  of  William  Hazlitt,  and  published  in  Lon 
don  (1851)  in  two  handsome  duodecimo  volumes.  In  this 
work  the  details  of  each  original  State  organization  are 
given,  and  much  incidental  light  thrown  on  the  character  of 
the  people  and  the  tendencies  and  traits  of  local  society  at 
this  primitive  era.  Relying  upon  the  Diary  of  Bradford,  first 
Governor  of  Plymouth,  the  New  England  Memorial,  Governor 
Dudley's  Report,  Johnson's,  and  "  America  Painted  to  the 
Life,  a  True  History"  (London,  1658),  the  Relations  of  Hig- 
ginson,  Wood,  Lechford,  Joscelyn,  the  Reports  of  Munson, 
Underbill,  Gardiner,  &c.,  with  the  writings  of  "  founders " 
such  as  Clark,  Gorges,  Roger  Williams,  &c.,  and  for  later 
facts  referring  to  Hubbard,  Mather,  Church,  Miles,  Neale, 
and  others,  Mrs.  Robinson  eliminated  from  these  and  other 
authentic  sources  the  essential  facts,  and  moulded  them  into 
a  most  significant  and  lucid  narrative — the  more  so  from 
being  the  work  of  a  mind  trained  in  the  older  civilization  of 
Europe.  "  I  look  upon  the  early  days  of  New  England,"  she 
naively  remarks,  "  with  love  certainly — but  as  a  German." 
Comparatively  impartial  as  she  is,  even  in  this  primitive 
record  we  find  indications  of  the  prejudice  which  subsequent 
events  fostered  into  a  habit,  and  almost  a  mania,  in  "  the 
mother  country."  "In  the  Revolutionary  period,"  she  writes, 
"  S.  A.  Peters,  a  degenerate  son  of  Connecticut,  published  a 
4  General  History'  of  that  State  (London,  1781) — a  mesh  of 
lies,  and  deformed  with  enormous  slander.  Nothing  could  be 
more  characteristic  of  the  feeling  at  that  time  prevalent  in 
England  toward  America,  than  the  fact  that  this  contempti 
ble  and  slanderous  work  survived,  the  following  year,  in  a 
second  edition." 


330  AMERICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

We  cannot,  perhaps,  more  appropriately  close  this  cursory 
notice  of  German  writers  on  America,  than  by  referring  to 
two  lectures  by  Dr.  Philip  Schaff,  whose  fame  as  a  Church 
historian,  and  labors  as  a  theological  professor  at  Mercers- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  give  special  interest  and  authority  to  his 
views.  When  Dr.  Schaff  revisited  his  native  country,  in 
1854,  he  gave,  at  Berlin,  two  discourses,  part  of  a  series  by 
eminent  scholars.  Carl  Ritter,  and  other  illustrious  friends, 
advised  their  publication  ;  and  this  is  the  origin  of  his  unpre 
tending  but  comprehensive  "  Sketch  of  the  Political,  Social, 
and  Religious  Character  of  the  United  States  of  North 
America."  It  was  translated  from  the  German,  and  pub 
lished  in  New  York  in  1855.  The  latter  branch  of  the  sub 
ject  naturally  occupies  the  largest  space  ;  and  it  is  in  relation 
to  German  emigration  and  the  Evangelical  Church  that  he 
chiefly  discusses  the  condition  and  prospects  of  his  adopted 
country.  In  view  of  the  fact  that,  the  very  year  of  his  visit 
to  his  fatherland,  the  emigration  of  his  countrymen  to  the 
port  of  New  York  alone,  amounted  to  more  than  one  hundred 
and  seventy-nine  thousand,  he  descants  upon  the  privileges, 
needs,  dangers,  and  destinies  involved  in  this  vast  experiment, 
with  the  knowledge  of  a  good  observer  and  the  conscience 
of  a  Christian  scholar.  He  laments  the  evil  attending  so 
large  a  proportion  of  ignorant  and  irreligious  emigres,  and 
the  low  condition  of  the  German  press  in  America  ;  but,  on 
the  other  hand,  anticipates  the  happiest  results  from  the  coali 
tion  of  the  American  and  Teutonic  mind.  "  With  the  one," 
he  observes,  "  everything  runs  into  theory,  and,  indeed,  so 
radically,  that  they  are  oftentimes  in  danger  of  losing  all  they 
aim  at ;  with  the  other,  everything  runs  into  practice,  and  it 
is  quite  possible  that  many  of  the  best  and  worst  German 
ideas  will  yet  attain,  in  practical  America,  a  much  greater 
importance  than  in  the  land  of  their  birth,  and  first  become 
flesh  and  blood  on  the  other  side  of  the  ocean,  like  certain 
plants,  which  need  transplanting  to  a  foreign  soil  in  order  to 
bear  fruit  and  flowers."  He  describes  with  candor  the  promi 
nent  traits  of  our  country  and  people.  The  latter,  he  says, 


NORTHERN   EUROPEAN   WRITERS.  331 

"  are  restlessness  and  agitation  personified :  even  when  seat 
ed,  they  push  themselves  to  and  fro  in  their  rocking  chairs, 
and  live  in  a  state  of  perpetual  excitement  in  their  business, 
their  politics,  and  their  religion.  They  are  excellently  char 
acterized  by  the  expressions  '  help  yourself '  and  '  go  ahead,' 
which  are  never  out  of  their  mouths."  "  The  grandest  des 
tiny  is  evidently  reserved  for  such  a  people.  We  can  and 
must,  it  is  true,  find  fault  with  many  things  in  them  and 
their  institutions — slavery,  the  lust  of  conquest,  the  worship 
of  mammon,  the  rage  for  speculation,  political  and  religious 
fanaticism  and  party  spirit,  boundless  temerity,  boasting,  and 
quackery ;  but  we  must  not  overlook  the  healthy  vital  ener 
gies  that  continually  react  against  these  diseases — the  moral, 
yea,  Puritanical  earnestness  of  the  American  character,  its 
patriotism  and  noble  love  of  liberty  in  connection  with  deep- 
rooted  reverence  for  the  law  of  God  and  authority,  its  clear, 
practical  understanding,  its  inclination  for  improvement  in 
every  sphere,  its  fresh  enthusiasm  for  great  plans  and  schemes 
of  moral  reform,  and  its  willingness  to  make  sacrifices  for  the 
promotion  of  God's  kingdom  and  every  good  work.  They 
wrestle  with  the  most  colossal  projects.  The  deepest  mean 
ing  and  aim  of  their  political  institutions  are  to  actualize  the 
idea  of  universal  sovereignty,  the  education  of  every  individ 
ual.  They  wish  to  make  culture,  which  in  Europe  is  every 
where  aristocratic  and  confined  to  a  comparatively  small  por 
tion  of  society,  the  common  property  of  the  people,  and  train 
up,  if  possible,  every  youth  as  a  gentleman,  and  every  girl  as 
a  lady ;  and  in  the  six  States  of  New  England,  at  least,  they 
have  attained  this  object  in  a  higher  degree  than  any  country 
in  the  Old  World,  England  and  Scotland  not  excepted. 
There  are  respectable  men,  professedly  of/The  highest  cul 
ture,  especially  in  despotic  Austria,  who  have  a  real  antipa 
thy  to  America,  speak  of  it  with  the  greatest  contempt  or 
indignation,  and  see  in  it  nothing  but  a  grand  bedlam,  a  ren 
dezvous  of  European  scamps  and  vagabonds.  Such  notions  it 
is  unnecessary  to  refute.  Materialism,  the  race  for  earthly 
gain,  and  pleasure,  find  unquestionably  rare  encouragement  in 


332  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

the  inexhaustible  physical  resources  of  the  country ;  but  it 
has  a  strong  and  wholesome  counterpoise  in  the  zeal  for  lib 
eral  education,  the  enthusiastic  spirit  of  philanthropy,  the 
munificent  liberality  of  the  people,  and,  above  all,  in  Chris 
tianity.  Radicalism  finds  in  republican  America  free  play  for 
its  wild,  wanton  revellings,  and  its  reckless  efforts  to  uproot 
all  that  is  established.  But  there  is  unquestionably  in  the 
Anglo-Saxon  race  a  strong  conservatism  and  deeply-rooted 
reverence  for  the  Divine  law  and  order ;  and,  even  in  the 
midst  of  the  storms  of  political  agitation,  it  listens  ever  arid 
anon  to  the  voice  of  reason  and  sober  reflection.  Despotism 
and  abuse  of  the  power  of  government  make  revolution; 
while  moderate  constitutional  liberalism  forms  the  safest  bar 
rier  against  it :  radicalism,  therefore,  can  never  have  such  a 
meaning  and  do  so  much  harm  in  England  and  America,  as  in 
countries  where  it  is  wantonly  provoked  to  revolutionary  re 
action." 

Dr.  Schaff  sketches  the  size,  growth,  polity,  social  life, 
and  religious  tendencies  and  traits  of  America,  in  a  few  au 
thentic  statements,  and  expresses  the  highest  hope  and  faith 
in  the  true  progress  and  prosperity  of  the  nation.  "  To 
those,"  he  remarks,  "  who  see  in  America  only  the  land  of 
unbridled  radicalism  and  of  the  wildest  fanaticism  for  free 
dom,  I  take  the  liberty  to  put  the  modest  question  :  In  what 
European  state  would  the  Government  have  the  courage  to 
enact  such  a  prohibition  of  the  traffic  in  all  intoxicating 
drinks,  and  the  people  to  submit  to  it,  as  the  Maine  liquor 
law?  I  am  sure  that  in  Bavaria  the  prohibition  of  beer 
would  produce  a  bloody  revolution." 

Education  in  America,  and  the  state  of  literature  and  sci 
ence,  are  ably  discussed  and  delineated.  The  press  there  is 
fairly  estimated ;  and  the  Church,  as  an  organization  and  a 
social  element,  analyzed  with  remarkable  correctness  as  to 
facts  and  liberality  as  to  feeling.  The  influence  of  German 
literature  in  America  is  duly  estimated,  and  the  character  and 
tendencies  of  foreign  immigration  and  native  traits  justly 
considered.  Without  being  in  the  least  blind  to  our  national 


NOETHEEN   EUEOPEAN    WEITEES.  333 

faults,  Dr.  Schaff  has  a  comprehensive  insight  as  to  our  na 
tional  destiny,  and  a  Christian  scholar's  appreciation  of  our 
national  duties.  "  The  general  tendency  in  America,"  he 
observes,  "  is  to  the  widest  possible  diffusion  of  education ; 
but  depth  and  thoroughness  by  no  means  go  hand  in  hand 
with  extension.  A  peculiar  phenomenon  is  the  great  number 
of  female  teachers.  Among  these  are  particularly  distin 
guished  the  '  Yankee  girls,'  who  know  how  to  make  their 
way  successfully  everywhere  as  teachers — as  in  Europe  the 
governesses  from  French  Switzerland.  Domestic  life  in  the 
United  States  may  be  described  as,  on  an  average,  well  regu 
lated  and  happy.  The  number  of  illegitimate  births  is  per 
haps  proportionally  less  than  in  any  other  country.  The 
American  family  is  not  characterized  by  so  much  deep  good 
nature,  and  warm,  overflowing  heartiness,  as  the  German ; 
but  the  element  of  mutual  respect  predominates." 

No  foreign  writer  has  more  clearly  perceived  or  em 
phatically  stated  the  moral  and  economical  relation  of  Amer 
ica  to  Europe  than  Professor  Schaff.  His  long  residence  in 
this  country,  and  his  educational  and  religious  labors  therein, 
gave  him  ample  opportunity  to  know  the  facts  as  regards 
emigration,  popular  literature,  social  life,  and  enterprise; 
while  his  European  birth  and  associations  made  him  equally 
familiar  with  the  wants  of  the  laboring,  the  theories  of  the 
thinking,  and  the  exigencies  of  the  political  classes.  "  Amer 
ica,"  he  writes,  "  begins  with  the  results  of  Europe's  two 
thousand  years'  course  of  civilization,  and  has  vigor,  enter 
prise,  and  ambition  enough  to  put  out  this  enormous  capital 
at  the  most  profitable  interest  for  the  general  good  of  man 
kind.  America  is  the  grave  of  all  European  nationalities ; 
but  it  is  a  Phrenix  grave,  from  which  they  shall  rise  to  new 
life.  Either  humanity  has  no  earthly  future,  and  everything 
is  tending  to  destruction,  or  this  future  lies,  I  say  not  exclu 
sively,  but  mainly  in  America,  according  to  the  victorious 
march  of  history,  with  the  sun,  from  east  to  west."  * 

*  "  America,  Political,  Social,  and  Religious,"  by  Dr.  Philip  Schaff,  New 
York,  C.  Scribner,  1855. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

ITALIAN    TRAVELLERS. 

NATIONAL    RELATIONS  I     VERRAZZANO  ;     CASTIGLIONE  ;     ADRIANI ; 

GRASSI  ;    BELTRAMI  J    D'ALLESSANDRO  ;     CAPOBIANCO  ; 

SALVATORE   ABBATE  E  MIGLIOBI J   PISANI. 

FEOM  the  antiquated  French  of  the  missionary  Travels, 
and  the  inelegant  English  of  the  uneducated  and  flippant 
writers  in  our  vernacular,  it  is  a  vivid  and  pleasant  change  to 
read  the  same  prolific  theme  discussed  in  the  "  soft  bastard 
Latin"  that  Byron  loved.  Although  no  Italian  author  has 
discoursed  of  our  country  in  a  manner  to  add  a  standard 
work  on  the  subject  to  his  native  literature,  America  is  asso 
ciated  with  the  historical  memorials  of  that  nation,  inasmuch 
as  Columbus  discovered  the  continent  to  which  Vespucci 
gave  a  name,  and  Carlo  Botta  wrote  the  earliest  European 
history  *  of  our  Revolution ;  while  the  great  tragic  poet  of 
Italy  dedicated  his  "  Bruto  Primo,"  in  terms  of  eloquent 
appreciation,  to  Washington ;  and  the  leading  journal  of 
Turin  to-day  has  a  regular  and  assiduous  correspondent  in 
New  York,  who  thus  made  clear  to  his  countrymen  the  cause, 
animus,  and  history  of  the  war  for  the  Union,  and  whose 
able  articles  on  the  educational  system  and  political  condition 

*  Botta's  "  History  of  the  War  of  the  Independence  of  the  United  States 
of  America,1'  translated  by  Otis,  2  vols.  8vo.  in  1. 


ITALIAN   TRAVELLERS.  335 

of  the  United  States,  which  have  appeared  in  the  Rimsta, 
Gontemporenea — the  ablest  literary  periodical  in  Italy — are  a 
promising  foretaste  of  the  complete  and  well-considered  work 
on  our  country  that  he  is  preparing  for  his  own :  a  task  for 
which  long  residence  and  faithful  study,  as  well  as  liberal 
sympathies  and  culture,  eminently  fit  him.*  At  the  banquet 
given  in  New  York  to  the  officers  of  the  Italian  frigate  Re 
Galantuomo,  on  the  occasion  of  her  visit  to  bring  the  equip 
ment  for  the  Re  d'ltalia,  a  magnificent  ship  of  war  built  in 
this  country  for  the  navy  of  Italy,  the  same  writer,  in  re 
sponse  to  a  sentiment  in  honor  of  the  king,  aptly  observed : 
"  Con  qual  animo  non  pronuzieremo  il  nome  de  Yittorio  Em- 
manuele,  in  questo  solenne  occasione,  quando  per  la  prima 
volta  nella  storia  d'ltalia  i  rappresentati  della  marina  nazion- 
ale,  toccano  a  questi  lidi  e  mettono  piede  su  questo  continente 
che  da  quasi  quattro  secoli  un  marinaio  italiano  scopriva  e 
dava  alia  civilta  del  mondo  !  "  f 

Within  a  recent  period,  the  despotism  of  Austria,  and  the 
reactionary  and  cruel  vigilance  of  the  local  rulers  in  the  penin 
sula,  which  succeeded  the  fall  of  Napoleon  and  the  conspira 
cies  and  emeutes  thence  resulting  among  the  Italian  people, 
brought  many  interesting  exiles  of  that  nation  to  our  shores. 
The  establishment  of  the  Italian  opera  created  a  new  interest 
in  the  language  of  Italy— which,  with  her  literature,  were 
auspiciously  initiated  in  New  York  by  Lorenzo  Daponte  forty 
years  ago  ;  arid  the  popular  fictions  of  Manzoni,  Rufini,  Mari- 
otti,  d'Azeglio,  and  Guerazzi,  have  made  the  story  of  their 
country's  wrongs  and  aspirations  familiar  to  our  people ;  while 
such  political  victims  as  Maroncelli,  Garibaldi,  and  Foresti 
challenged  the  respect  and  won  the  love  of  those  among 
whom  they  found  a  secure  and  congenial  asylum ;  and  thus, 

*  Professor  Vincenzo  Botta. 

f  "  With  what  emotions  shall  we  not  pronounce  the  name  of  Victor  Emman 
uel,  on  this  occasion,  when,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  Italy,  the  rep 
resentatives  of  her  national  navy  touch  the  shores  and  tread  the  continent 
which,  nearly  four  centuries  ago,  an  Italian  mariner  discovered  and  gave  to 
the  civilized  world  ! " 


336  AMERICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

although  the  least  numerous  class  of  emigres,*  the  Italian 
visitors  became  among  the  most  prominent  from  their  merits 
and  misfortunes.  To  the  vagabond  image  venders  and  organ 
grinders,  musicians  and  confectioners,  were  thus  added  emi 
nent  scholars  and  patriots,  and  endeared  members  of  society. 
Nowhere  in  the  civilized  world  was  the  national  development 
of  Italy  more  fondly  watched  than  here.  The  lecture  room, 
the  popular  assembly,  and  the  press  in  the  United  States,  re 
sponded  to  and  celebrated  the  reforms  in  Sardinia,  the  union 
of  that  state  with  Lombardy,  Tuscany,  and  Naples,  the  lib 
eral  polity  of  Victor  Emmanuel,  and  the  heroic  statesman 
ship  of  Cavour.  Garibaldi  has  received  substantial  tokens 
of  American  sympathy ;  and  current  literature,  love  of  art, 
and  facilities  of  travel,  have  made  the  land  of  Columbus  and 
the  Republic  of  the  West  intimately  and  mutually  known 
and  loved.  The  caf<§,  the  studio,  the  lyric  drama,  letters,  art, 
and  society  in  our  cities  attest  this  ;  f  and  should  steam  com 
munication  be  established,  as  proposed,  between  Genoa  and 

*  Between  1820  and  1860,  about  13,000  Italian  emigrants  reached  this 
country.  At  present,  in  New  York,  the  Italian  population  is  estimated  at 
2,000 — most  of  them  peasants  and  peddlers,  who  earn  a  precarious  subsist 
ence  as  organ  players,  venders  of  plaster  casts,  &c.  Colonies  of  them  live  in 
limited  quarters  in  the  most  squalid  part  of  the  city — monkeys,  organs, 
images,  and  families  grotesquely  huddled  in  the  same  apartment.  An  evening 
school  for  these  emigres  has  been  in  successful  operation  for  some  years,  and 
with  good  results. 

f  Scanty  as  is  the  record  of  Italian  travel  in  the  United  States,  the  emi 
gration  of  that  people  being  chiefly  directed  to  South  American  cities,  where, 
as  at  Montevideo,  they  have  large  communities,  the  Spanish  is  still  more 
meagre,  and  contrasts  in  this  respect  with  the  prominence  of  that  race  in  the 
chronicle  of  maritime  enterprise  and  exploration  centuries  since.  Among  the 
few  books  of  Spanish  travel  of  recent  origin,  are  the  following :  1.  "  Viage 
a  los  Estados-Unidos  del  Norte  de  America,"  por  Don  Lorenz.o  de  Zavala, 
Paris,  1834,  1  vol.  Svo.,  pp.  374.  The  author  was,  at  one  time,  Minister  from 
Mexico  to  France.  His  book  is  a  slight  affair.— 2.  "  Cinco  Mescs  en  los  Es 
tados-Unidos  de  la  America  del  Norte  desde  el  20  dc  Abril  el  23  Setiembre, 
1835,  Diario  de  Viage  de  D.  Ramon  de  la  Sagra,  Director  del  Jardin  Botanico 
de  la  Ilabana,  eft".,"  Paris,  1836,  1  vol.  Svo.,  pp.  437.  Le  Sagra  has  published 
an  important  book  about  Cuba,  been  concerned  in  Spanish  politics,  and  is 
well  considered  as  a  man  of  science  ;  but  his  book,  says  an  able  critic,  is  not 
much  better  than  Zavala's. 


ITALIAN   TEAYELLEES.  337 

New  York,  the  emigration  will  improve.  When  the  war  for 
the  Union  commenced,  many  Italian  citizens  volunteered,  and 
some  have  acquired  honor  in  the  field ;  while  not  a  few  can 
find  in  the  following  anecdote,  which  recently  appeared  in  a 
popular  daily  journal,  a  parallel  to  their  own  recent  experi 
ence  : 

"  Ten  or  twelve  years  ago  an  Italian  emigrated  from  Northern 
Italy,  and,  after  various  wanderings,  pitched  his  tent  at  Jackson, 
Mississippi.  He  prospered  in  business,  increased  and  multiplied.  He 
also  managed  to  build  two  comfortable  little  houses,  and  altogether 
was  getting  on  quite  well  in  the  world.  At  the  time  the  war  broke 
out  he  was  North  on  business ;  and  finding,  from  his  well-known 
Union  sentiments,  that  it  would  be  dangerous  to  return,  he  took 
what  money  he  had  with  him,  and,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  sailed 
for  Europe,  while  his  sons  entered  the  Union  army. 

"  In  the  beautiful  Val  d'Ossola,  not  far  from  the  town  of  Domo 
d'Ossola,  on  the  great  thoroughfare  where  the  Simplon  road,  issu 
ing  from  the  Alps,  and  but  just  escaped  from  the  rocky  frowns 
of  the  gorge  of  Gondo,  passes  amid  fringes  of  olive  groves  to  the 
great  white  '  Arch  of  Peace '  and  the  brilliant  city  of  Milan,  is  located 
one  of  those  unpretending  inns  or  locandas  which  abound  in  Italy — 
a  low,  rambling  house,  half  hid  in  trellised  vines,  and  prefaced  as  to 
doorway  by  several  rude  stone  tables,  at  which  transient  guests  may 
sit  and  sip  the  country  wine. 

"  A  few  months  ago,  two  American  pedestrians  stopped  at  this  place 
and  ordered  wine,  and,  while  sipping  it,  were  accosted  in  tolerable 
English  by  the  landlord,  who  wanted  to  know  their  views  about  the 
war,  and  particularly  when  the  State  of  Mississippi  would  be  re 
gained  for  the  Union.  The  question,  coming  from  such  a  source,  led 
to  a  conversation,  during  which  it  was  revealed  that  the  worthy  inn 
keeper  was  none  other  than  the  Italian  emigrant  and  the  house- 
owner  in  the  town  of  Jackson. 

"  At  that  time  there  was  no  early  prospect  of  the  taking  of  the 
capital  of  Mississippi ;  but,  now  that  General  Sherman  is  in  that  very 
vicinity,  if  not  in  the  city  itself,  there  will  probably  be  good  news  for 
the  innkeeper  of  the  Simplon  road.  And  this  is  but  one  instance  out 
of  many,  in  which  each  of  even  the  minor  phases  of  the  war  strikes 
directly  at  some  personal  interest  or  some  chord  of  affection  in  indi 
viduals  in  the  most  remote  corners  of  the  continent  of  Europe." 

x    A  curious  waif  that  gives  us  tokens  of  early  exploration, 
is  what  remains  of  the  journal  of  the  old  Italian  navigator 
15 


338  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

Yerrazzano — a  relic  still  preserved  among  the  treasures  of  the 
public  library  at  Florence.  In  a  summer  sail  down  the  bay 
of  New  York,  or  an  excursion  in  and  around  the  harbor  of 
Newport,  R.  I.,  we  easily  recognize  the  local  features  thus 
noted  by  Verrazzano  ;  but  to  which  scene  they  apply,  seems 
to  have  been  doubtful  to  nearly  all  the  commentators  upon 
this  ancient  mariner ;  although  to  us  the  former  place  seems 
obviously  intended.  "  The  mouth  of  the  haven,"  he  writes, 
"  lieth  open  to  the  south,  half  a  league  broad,  and  being 
entered  within  it,  it  stretcheth  twelve  leagues,  and  waxeth 
broader  and  broader,  and  maketh  a  gulf  about  twenty 
leagues  in  compass,  wherein  are  five  small  islands  very  fruit 
ful  and  pleasant,  and  full  of  hie  and  broad  trees,  among  the 
which  islands  any  great  navie  may  ride  itself."  So  New 
York  Bay  struck  the  eyes  of  Verrazzano  in  1524,  and  so  he 
described  it  in  a  letter  to  the  king  of  France,  wherein  he  also 
speaks  of  the  "  great  store  of  slate  for  houses,"  the  abundant 
wild  grapevines,  the  mullets  in  the  waters,  and  the  "  okes, 
cipresses,  and  chestnuts  "  of  the  islands. 

There  is  something  that  excites  the  imagination  into  a 
more  objective  view  of  familiar  things,  when  they  are  de 
scribed  and  commented  on  in  a  foreign  tongue ;  and  certain 
peculiarities  of  American  life  and  scenery  thus  derive  a  fresh 
aspect  from  the  vivacious  pictures  and  observation  of  French 
writers.  We  seem  to  catch  glimpses  of  our  country  from 
their  point  of  view,  and  to  realize  the  salient  diversities  of 
race  and  customs,  as  we  never  do  when  discussed  in  our  ver 
nacular.  A  similar  though  equally  characteristic  effect  is  pro 
duced  by  reading  even  hackneyed  accounts  of  men  and  things 
in  America  when  couched  in  Italian.  Accordingly,  though 
we  find  little  original  information  in  the  "  Viaggio  negli  Stati 
Uniti  dell'  America  Settentrionale,  fatto  negli  anni  1785,  '6, 
e  "7,  da  Luigi  Castiglione,"  to  one  who  has  visited  Italy 
there  is  a  charm  in  the  record  of  a  "  Patrizio  Milanese."  His 
book  was  printed  in  Milan,  1790.  He  paid  especial  attention 
to  those  vegetable  products  of  the  New  World  which  are 
valuable  as  commodities  and  useful  in  domestic  economy. 


ITALIAN   TRAVELLERS.  339 

He  observed  with  the  eye  of  a  naturalist.  Climate,  sects, 
food,  edifices,  and  local  history  occupied  his  mind  ;  and  when 
we  remember  the  almost  incredible  ignorance  prevalent  even 
among  educated  Italians,  within  a  few  years,  in  regard  to  the 
United  States,  we  cannot  but  think  that  Castiglione's  copious 
and  generally  accurate  narrative  must  have  been  valuable  and 
interesting  to  such  of  his  countrymen  as  desired  information, 
seventy  years  ago,  about  America.  To  a  reader  here  and 
now,  however,  the  work  has  but  a  limited  significance,  the 
writer's  experience  being  so  identical  with  that  of  many  bet 
ter-known  authors.  It  is  curious,  however,  in  this,  as  in 
other  instances,  to  note  the  national  tendency  in  the  line  of 
observation  adopted.  Castiglione  says  more  about  architec 
ture  than  manners,  meagre  as  that  branch  of  the  fine  arts 
was  in  our  land  at  the  time  of  his  visit.  He  is  much  struck 
with  Long  Wharf  on  arriving  at  Boston  :  "  II  Gran  Molo  per 
cui  si  discenda  a  terra,  e  uno  da  piu  magnifici  degli  Stati 
Uniti ;  e  si  dice  avere  un  mezzo  miglia  di  lunghezza."  He 
specifies  "  1'  isola  di  Noddle  "  in  describing  the  harbor.  The 
shingles  which  then  covered  most  of  the  roofs  proved  a  nov 
elty  to  him ;  and  a  salt-fish  dinner,  with  shellbarks  and  cider, 
he  found  so  indigestible,  that  it  made  quite  an  impression 
both  upon  his  stomach  and  brain.  Alive  to  the  charm  of 
great  memories,  as  lending  dignity  to  cities,  he  recalls  with 
delight  the  fact  that  Franklin,  Hancock,  Adams,  and  other 
patriots,  were  born  in  Boston ;  the  republican  equality  of 
which  community  is  to  him  a  memorable  fact,  as  is  the  sight 
of  the  statue  of  Pitt  in  New  York,  and  the  simultaneous 
advertisement  of  a  negro  and  a  horse  to  be  sold  at  auction 
there.  As  the  Signore  frequently  travelled  on  horseback,  he 
was  exposed  to  the  caprices  of  our  temperature,  and  vividly 
realized  the  extremes  of  the  climate.  He  alludes  to  his  visit 
at  Mount  Vernon  in  the  same  terms  with  which  all  intelligent 
foreigners  dwell  upon  the  privilege  of  a  personal  acquaint 
ance  with  the  spotless  patriot,  whose  recent  career  was  then 
the  moral  marvel  of  the  age.  There  is  so  much  in  this  con 
temporary  testimony  that  agrees  with  and  anticipates  the  ver- 


340  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

diet  of  history,  that  we  never  can  read  the  spontaneous 
expression  thereof,  from  so  many  and  such  various  sources, 
without  a  fresh  emotion  of  love  and  honor,  inspired  not  less 
by  the  blessing  such  a  character  and  career  have  proved  to 
humanity,  than  by  our  own  national  preeminence.  Never  was 
there  such  identity  of  sentiment  in  so  many  different  Ian- 
guges,  in  regard  to  the  same  human  being.  "  Ivi,"  writes 
Castiglione  of  his  visit  to  Mount  Vernon,  "  passai  quattro 
giorni  favorito  del  Generale  Washington  colla  maggiore  ospi- 
talita.  II  Generale  ha  cerca  cinquante  setti  anni,  e  grande 
di  statura,  di  robusta  complessione,  di  aspetto  maestoso  e 
piacevole,  e  benche  incallito  nel  servizio  militare,  sembra 
ancora  di  eta  non  avanzata.  Yoglia  il  Cielo,  che,  vivendo  molti 
anni,  serva,  per  lungo  tempo,  d'esempio  nella  virtu  e  nella 
industria  a  suoi  concittadini,  come  servi  d'esempio  all'  Eu- 
ropa,  nelle  vittorie  che  consacrarono  il  sou  nome  ad  un'  eterna 
fame." 

In  1790,  Count  Adriani,  of  Milan,  brought  an  ode  from 
Alfieri  to  Washington,  and  afterward  wrote  an  abusive  book 
about  America,  of  which  the  General  wrote  to  Humphrey,  it 
is  "  an  insult  to  the  inhabitants  of  a  country  where  he  re 
ceived  more  attention  and  civility  than  he  seemed  to  merit." 

Whoever  visited  the  Roman  Catholic  convent  at  George 
town,  twenty  years  ago,  chatted  with  the  priests,  and  per 
haps  tasted  the  old  Malaga  with  which  they  used  to  beguile 
their  guests,  must,  especially  if  fresh  from  Washington  soci 
ety,  have  experienced  a  curious  kind  of  old-world  sensation, 
inspired  by  the  contrast  between  this  glimpse  of  the  monas 
tic  life  of  Europe  and  the  vivacious,  hopeful,  experimental 
tone  of  American  society.  It  is  easy,  with  these  impressions, 
to  imagine  what  kind  of  a  report  of  our  country,  its  pros 
pects,  manners,  and  tendencies,  an  isolated  priest  of  such  an 
establishment  would  be  likely  to  prepare.  Its  main  character 
would,  of  course,  be  deprecatory  of  the  religious  freedom 
of  the  land ;  its  social  comments  would  naturally  be  founded 
on  convent  gossip  and  hear-say  evidence ;  and  it  would  be 
natural  to  expect  traces  of  that  waggery  with  which  our 


ITALIAN   TRAVELLERS.  341 

quick-witted  people,  when  provoked  by  the  perversity  or 
amused  by  the  credulity  of  their  foreign  visitors,  are  apt  to 
quiz  these  seekers  "  of  knowledge  under  difficulties ; "  as 
when  a  complacently  curious  lady  scribe  was  made  to  believe 
the  water  carts  used  to  lay  the  summer  dust  in  our  Northern 
cities,  sprinkled  the  streets  thrice  daily  with  vinegar,  to  obvi 
ate  infection ;  or  when  the  cockney  accepted  the  statement 
that  a  rose  bug  was  a  flea,  everything,  from  hotels  to  moun 
tains  and  insects,  being  on  a  large  scale  in  America. 

Accordingly,  the  reader  of  a  now  rare  pamphlet,  written 
by  a  former  inmate  of  the  Georgetown  convent,  will  not  be 
disappointed  in  any  of  these  anticipations.  Originally  pub 
lished  in  Kome,  it  was  reprinted  at  Milan  in  1819,  and  is  en 
titled  "  Notizie  Yarie  sullo  stato  presente  della  Republica 
degli  Stati  Uniti  dell'  America  Settentrionale  da  Padre  Gio 
vanni  Grassi  della  compagnia  de  Gesu."  This  Jesuit  writer 
is  of  the  urbane  class.  Take  away  the  priestly  animus,  and 
there  is  nothing  consciously  un  can  did  in  his  account,  narrow 
and  superficial  as  it  is.  The  marvellous  growth  of  the  coun 
try  in  population  and  resources  is  fairly  indicated,  and  some 
agricultural  information  given.  He  declares  "  the  mass  of 
the  people  are  better  provided  with  food  "  than  elsewhere  in 
the  world,  but  are  not  as  well  off  as  regards  drink,  wine 
being  very  dear  and  beer  quite  rare.  The  seventh  part  of 
the  population,  he  says,  are  negroes,  and  are  kindly  treated. 
He  is  severe  on  "  the  passion  for  elegant  preaching,"  on  the 
extravagance  in  dress,  on  the  prevalence  of  duels  and  dan 
cing,  on  the  superficial  education,  and  the  practice  of  gam 
bling.  The  two  last  defects  come  with  an  ill  grace  from  an 
Italian,  the  bane  of  whose  nation  they  have  been  for  ages. 
Padre  Grassi  must  have  been  hoaxed  by  some  report  of  the 
Connecticut  Blue  Laws,  for  he  speaks  of  the  superstitious 
observance  of  the  Sabbath  as  constituting  religion  in  the  view 
of  American  Protestants,  who  "  saddle  a  horse  the  day  be 
fore  Sunday  to  go  to  church  on,  and  have  no  beer  made  on 
Saturday,  lest  it  should  work  the  next  day."  He  gravely 
declares  that  cider  is  substituted  for  wine  at  the  communion 


34:2  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS 

service,  from  motives  of  economy.  He  is  not  at  all  compli 
mentary  to  the  people  of  the  Eastern  States,  of  whom  he 
probably  heard  a  Southern  report.  "  Among  the  inhabitants 
of  the  United  States,"  he  writes,  "  those  of  New  England 
are  regarded  as  thorough  knaves,  and  are  called  Yankis." 
He  mentions,  as  ordinary  infractions  of  good  breeding,  that 
people  in  America  "  pare  the  nails  and  comb  the  head  in  com 
pany"  (in  Italy  the  latter  is  a  street  occupation),  and  "sit 
with  their  feet  braced  on  a  wall  or  a  chair."  He  inveighs 
against  the  "  display  of  piety,"  and  indulges  in  some  rather 
coarse  jokes  and  some  very  free  caricatures,  that  suggest 
rather  the  licentious  than  the  disciplined  side  of  monastic 
life ;  yet,  withal,  there  is  something  kindly  in  the  spirit  as 
there  is  absurd  in  the  prejudices  of  Father  Grassi,  whose 
summing  up,  however,  is  rather  discouraging :  "The  unre 
strained  freedom  which  obtains,  the  drunkenness  which 
abounds,  the  rabble  of  adventurers,  the  great  number  of 
negro  slaves,  the  almost  infinite  variety  of  sects,  and  the 
little  real  religion  that  is  met  with,  the  incredible  number  of 
novels  that  are  read,  and  the  insatiable  eagerness  for  gain, 
are,  indeed,  circumstances  that  would  hardly  give  reason  to 
expect  much  in  point  of  manners.  At  first  view,  however, 
one  is  not  aware  of  the  depravity  of  this  country,  because  it 
is  hidden,  for  a  time,  under  the  veil  of  an  engaging  ex 
terior." 

J.  C.  Beltrami,  previously  a  judge  of  a  royal  court  in  the 
kingdom  of  Italy,  in  his  "  Pilgrimage  in  Europe  and  Amer 
ica,"  published  in  London  in  1828,  gives  his  impressions  of 
the  West  with  much  vividness.  He  had  much  to  say  of  the 
aborigines,  and  expatiates  •  upon  the  natural  history  and 
scenery  of  the  region  he  visited  with  intelligence  and  enthu 
siasm.  Of  the  latter  he  writes,  "  one  wants  the  pencil  of 
Claude  and  the  pen  of  Delille  to  describe  it." 

Twenty  years  ago,  there  resided  in  Boston  a  Sicilian  refu 
gee,  still  affectionately  remembered.  He  celebrated  in  grace 
ful  verse  the  solemn  beauty  of  Mount  Auburn,*  and  was 
*  "  31onte  Auburno  :  Poemetto  da  Pietro  d'Alessandro." 


ITALIAN   TRAVELLERS.  343 

esteemed  by  many  of  our  scholars  and  citizens  for  his  genial 
disposition  and  refined  mind.  His  first  impressions  of  New 
England  manners  were  essentially  modified  when  time  and 
opportunity  had  secured  him  friends ;  but  his  early  letters 
are  interesting  because  so  natural ;  and  they  express,  not 
inadequately,  the  feelings  of  a  sensitive  and  honest  Italian, 
while  yet  a  stranger  in  the  "  land  of  liberty."  They  indi 
rectly,  also,  bring  the  sentiment  of  the  two  countries,  before 
the  days  of  Italian  unity,  into  suggestive  contrast.  Not 
intended  for  publication,  they  are  all  the  more  candid  on  that 
account.  I  obtained  permission  to  translate  them,  and  they 
are  now  quoted  as  a  faithful  local  sketch  of  personal  experi 
ence  of  an  educated  Sicilian  patriot  in  the  American  Athens : 

"  BOSTON,  183-. 

"  '  I  was  reading  Yorick  and  Didimo*  on  the  26th  of  December, 
the  very  day  preceding  your  departure ;  and  I  wept  for  you,  for 
Didimo,  and  myself,  earnestly  wishing,  at  the  moment,  that  our  coun 
trymen  would  yield  at  least  the  tribute  of  a  tear  to  the  memory  of 
Foscolo,  recalling  his  sublime  mind  and  the  history  of  those  lofty 
but  hopeless  feelings  which  drove  him  a  wanderer,  out  of  Italy,  to 
find  repose  only  in  the  grave.' 

"  I  often  ponder  upon  these  few  words  written  by  you  on  the 
blank  leaf  of  my  Didimo.  I  can  never  read  them  unmoved,  for  they 
awaken  a  sad  emotion  in  my  heart,  as  if  they  were  the  last  accents  I 
am  destined  to  hear  from  your  lips.  Never  have  I  so  vividly  felt  the 
absence  of  your  voice,  your  presence,  and  your  counsel,  as  now  that, 
driven  by  my  hapless  fortune  to  a  distant  land,  I  have  no  one  either 
to  compassionate  or  cheer  me,  nor  any  with,  whom  to  share  my  joy 
or  sorrows.  Believe  me,  Eugenio,  the  love  of  country  and  friends 
was  never  so  ardent  in  rny  bosom  as  now  that  I  am  deprived  of 
them ;  and  time,  instead  of  healing,  seems  rather  to  irritate  the 
wound  which  preys  so  deeply  upon  my  heart.  I  often  wrote  you 
while  on  the  Atlantic,  describing  the  various  incidents  of  our  voyage, 
the  dangers  we  encountered,  and  the  fearful  and  sweet  sensations  I 
alternately  experienced,  as  the  sea  lashed  itself  into  a  tempest,  or 
reposed  beneath  the  mild  effulgence  of  a  tranquil  night.  But,  upon 
reviewing  those  letters,  I  find  they  breathe  too  melancholy  a  strain, 
and  are  quite  too  redolent  of  my  wayward  humor,  even  for  a  dear 

*  The  name  assumed  by  Foscolo  as  translator  of  Sterne's  "  Sentimental 
Journey." 


344  AMEEICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

friend's  perusal ;  and,  besides  reaching  you  too  late,  they  could  only 
serve  to  grieve  both  yourself  and  my  poor  mother.  But  at  length  I 
have  arrived  at  a  place  whence  I  can  give  you  some  definite  account 
of  my  welfare. 

"  On  the  night  of  the  15th  of  March,  notwithstanding  the  con 
trary  wind  which  had  beat  us  about  here  and  there  for  several  suc 
cessive  days,  we  cast  anchor  in  Boston  harbor.  That  night  was  long 
and  wearisome  to  me.  Obliged  to  remain  on  board  until  dawn,  I 
passed  it  like  many  others  during  the  passage,  unable  to  sleep.  The 
weariness  and  anxiety  consequent  upon  a  long  sea  voyage,  were  at 
length  over.  Indeed,  the  moment  I  caught  the  first  glimpse  of  land, 
they  were  forgotten.  Yet  I  could  scarcely  persuade  myself  that  I 
had  reached  America.  The  remembrance  of  the  last  few  months  of 
excitement  and  grief,  passed  in  that  dear  and  distant  country  which, 
perhaps,  I  am  never  destined  again  to  behold,  came  over  me  anew, 
and,  contrasting  with  my  present  situation,  awoke  in  my  mind  the 
most  painful  sense  of  uncertainty.  I  felt  doubtful  of  everything, 
even  of  my  own  existence.  I  experienced,  at  that  moment,  an  utter 
want  of  courage.  The  flattering  hopes  which  had  brightened  the 
gloomiest  hours  of  my  voyage,  all  at  once  abandoned  me.  My  ima 
gination  no  longer  pictured  scenes  of  promise.  I  looked  within  and 
around,  and  beheld  only  the  naked  reality  of  things.  I  realized  only 
the  sad  certainty,  that  a  new  life  was  before  me.  I  revolved  the 
various  necessities  of  my  situation :  the  importance  of  immediately 
forming  new  acquaintances — the  uncertainty  how  I  should  be  re 
ceived  by  the  few  to  whom  I  had  brought  introductions — my  own 
natural  aversion  to  strangers — and  a  thousand  other  anxious  thoughts, 
which  made  me  long  for  day  as  the  signal  of  relief  from  their  vexa 
tion.  At  length  the  morning  dawned ;  but  it  was  obscured  by  a 
damp  fog  and  heavy  fall  of  snow.  All  around  wore  a  gloomy  and 
cheerless  aspect.  In  a  few  moments,  the  captain  came  to  greet  me 
as  usual,  but  with  more  than  wonted  urbanity.  He  informed  me  I 
was  now  at  liberty,  and,  whenever  I  pleased,  the  boat  should  con 
vey  me  to  the  nearest  wharf.  I  did  not  wait  for  him  to  repeat  the 
summons,  but,  throwing  off  my  sea  dress,  assumed  another ;  and, 
descending  the  ship's  side,  soon  touched  the  shore  so  long  and 
ardently  desired.  It  is  true,  I  then  felt  intensely  what  it  is  to  be 
alone.  Yet  not  less  sincere  was  my  gratitude  to  that  invisible  and 
benignant  Being,  who  had  guided  and  preserved  me  through  so  many 
dangers.  I  landed  with  tearful  eyes ;  and,  although  no  friend,  with 
beating  heart,  was  there  to  welcome  me,  I  stooped  reverently  to  kiss 
the  land  sacred  to  liberty,  and  felt  then  for  the  first  time  that  I,  too, 
was  a  man. 


ITALIAN  TRAVELLERS.  345 

"  llth  April. 

"  I  have  now  passed  several  days  in  strolling  through  the  streets 
of  this  city,  amusing  myself  with  the  sight  of  so  many  objects  of 
novelty  and  interest.  I  find  the  place  rather  pretty  than  otherwise ; 
much  more  so,  indeed,  than  I  had  imagined.  The  buildings,  how 
ever,  are  in  a  style  so  peculiar,  as  to  suggest  the  idea  that  the  principles 
of  architecture  are  here  entirely  unknown,  or  purposely  disregarded. 
And  then,  the  people  all  seem  in  such  a  hurry ! — ladies  and  gentlemen, 
boys  and  girls,  white  and  black,  horses,  hacks,  wagons,  and  omnibuses 
hastening  so  furiously  along  the  streets,  that,  unless  you  are  on  your 
guard,  there  is  no  little  danger  of  awkward  rencontres.  How  de 
lightful  to  my  sea- worn  sight,  this  spectacle  of  animated  life !  How 
gladly  would  I,  too,  have  assumed  a  part  in  the  busy  scenes  in  which 
the  multitude  about  me  were  engaged !  "With  what  delight  should  I 
have  rejoiced  with  them,  in  anticipating  the  comforts  and  the  greet 
ings  of  a  home  !  But,  situated  as  I  was  during  these  first  days  suc 
ceeding  my  arrival,  the  scenes  around  me  served  but  to  make  me 
realize  anew  my  loneliness ;  and,  but  for  the  gratification  afforded 
my  curiosity,  I  would  have  willingly  remained  immured  in  the  little 
chamber  of  my  hotel.  I  am,  however,  anxiously  seeking  employ 
ment  ;  but,  as  yet,  my  efforts  have  been  unsuccessful.  My  letters  of 
introduction  I  do  not  think  will  be  of  much  service  to  me,  except  the 
one  proposing  a  credit  in  my  favor,  from  our  mutual  friend,  which 
has  been  duly  honored  by  his  correspondents.  These  gentlemen,  like 
many  others  here,  have  expressed  great  pleasure  in  seeing  me.  They 
have  introduced  me  to  such  individuals  as  I  have  chanced  to  meet  in 
their  company,  either  at  the  counting  house,  or  in  the  streets.  They 
have  also  made  innumerable  proffers  of  assistance.  In  short,  they 
have  received  me  kindly,  arid  yet  with  a  curious  species  of  kindness, 
certainly  not  Italian;  and,  as  yet,  I  know  not  if  I  can  properly 
characterize  it  as  American.  Polite  or  not,  however,  they  certainly 
seem  to  aim  first  to  satisfy  their  curiosity ;  for,  after  having  beset 
one  with  a  thousand  questions — many  more,  indeed,  than  it  is  agree 
able  to  answer — they  make  no  scruple  of  waiving  all  ceremony,  and 
leaving  you  very  abruptly,  without  even  a  hasty  addio.  This  has 
occurred  to  me  very  often,  though  I  cannot  say  invariably.  The 
figure  which  I  have  presented  more  than  once,  on  such  occasions,  I 
am  sure  must  have  been  ridiculous.  Taken  by  surprise  at  the  abrupt 
termination  of  the  interview,  I  have  stood  immovable  and  half  mor 
tified,  following  with  my  eyes  the  receding  form  of  my  friend,  walk 
ing  so  coolly  off,  intent  upon  his  own  affairs. 

u  Another  kind  of  courtesy,  which  some,  perhaps,  might  ascribe 
to  frankness,  but  which  certainly  wears  the  appearance  of  perfect 

15* 


34:6  AMEEICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

indifference,  is  their  habit  of  inviting  one  to  their  houses  and  tables, 
in  terms  so  very  vague  and  general,  that  I  assure  you,  during  the 
month  I  have  been  here,  it  has  been  frequently  impossible  for  me  to 
make  up  my  mind  to  accept  many  of  the  civilities  offered  me.  I 
question,  however,  whether  there  will  be  frequent  occasion  for  scru 
ples  of  this  kind,  as  I  apprehend  there  is  little  danger  of  such  courte 
sies  being  repeated :  yet  the  good  people  seem  in  earnest,  and  to 
tender  their  hospitalities  with  all  their  hearts.  I  am  inclined  to  think 
they  do.  But,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  feel  no  small  degree  of  delicacy  in 
accepting  such  courtesies,  because  the  experience  I  daily  acquire  of 
their  customs  and  manner  of  thinking,  forces  upon  my  mind  the  con 
viction,  that  the  reputation  they  have  for  egotism,  especially  as-  re 
gards  foreigners,  is  not  without  foundation. 

"  Boston  people  may  be  ranked  among  that  large  class  who  con 
tent  themselves  with  respecting  all  who  respect  them,  and  refrain 
scrupulously  from  doing  the  slightest  injury  to  all  who  are  equally 
harmless.  They  are,  however,  exceedingly  wary  of  foreigners,  and 
not,  perhaps,  without  much  reason ;  since  many  who  have  sojourned 
among  them  have  shown  themselves  both  ignorant  and  unprincipled, 
and,  besides  leaving  a  bad  impression  of  their  individual  characters, 
have  also  induced  the  most  unfavorable  opinions  of  the  countries 
whence  they  came.  In  Italy,  the  very  name  of  stranger  is  a  pass 
port  to  civility  and  kindness.  Here,  while  you  require  no  sealed  and 
signed  document  from  any  of  their  European  majesties  to  insure  free 
communication  and  travel,  you  can  scarcely  ask  the  slightest  civility, 
or  approach  one  of  your  kind,  without  exciting  a  certain  degree  of 
suspicion ;  and  your  disadvantage  is  still  enhanced,  if,  in  addition  to 
the  name  of  foreigner — which,  like  original  sin,  is  deemed  a  common 
taint — you  also  bring  the  still  less  pardonable  sin  of  poverty.  The 
necessity  of  earning  a  livelihood,  however  honestly,  is  certainly  the 
worst  recommendation  with  which  to  enter  a  foreign  country ;  nor 
is  it  less  so  in  the  New  World,  since  here,  as  well  as  elsewhere,  a 
well-filled  purse,  and  the  disposition  liberally  to  dispense  its  con 
tents,  will  insure  the  heartiest  welcome.  The  Americans,  too,  being 
universally  intent  upon  gain,  are  naturally  indisposed  to  encourage 
new  competitors,  and  their  time  is  too  completely  absorbed  in  busi 
ness  to  allow  of  their  devoting  many  moments  to  the  interests  of  for 
eigners.  Their  lives  are  entirely  spent  in  striving  after  new  accumu 
lations  ;  and  the  whole  glory  of  their  existence  is  reduced  to  the 
miserable  vanity  of  having  it  said,  after  their  death,  that  they  have 
left  a  considerable  estate ;  and  this  short-lived  renown  is  awarded 
according  to  the  greater  or  less  heritage  bequeathed.  This  is  not 
only  the  course  of  the  father,  but  of  the  children ;  for  they,  being 


ITALIAN   TRAVELLERS.  34:7 

by  law  entitled  to  an  equal  portion  of  their  father's  property,  are 
obliged  to  follow  in  his  footsteps,  in  order  to  obtain  their  shares  of 
this  same  glory :  that  the  question,  '  How  much  has  he  left  ? '  may 
be  answered  as  much  to  their  credit  as  it  was  to  that  of  their  sire. 
Thus  the  young  and  the  old,  those  barely  possessing  a  competence 
and  those  rolling  in  wealth,  with  equal  zeal  bend  all  their  energies  to 
the  common  end.  Intent  upon  gain  and  traffic,  they  are  too  absorbed 
to  think  of  any  but  themselves.  They  calculate,  with  watch  in  hand, 
the  minutes  and  seconds  as  they  pass,  and  seem  naturally  averse  to 
any  conversation  of  which  trade  and  speculation  are  not  the  subject. 
Hence  results,  as  a  natural  consequence,  the  prevailing  mediocrity  of 
ideas  and  feelings,  derived  from  the  uniform  system  of  education  and 
manner  of  thinking,  as  well  as  the  great  similarity  of  interests. 
Hence,  too,  the  equal  tenor  of  life,  and  the  absence  of  great  vices,  as 
well  as  of  great  virtues ;  hence  the  social  calmness  and  universal 
prosperity,  and  hence  the  apparent  insensibility  to  the  appeal  of  mis 
fortune,  resulting  from  the  want  of  exercise  of  feelings  of  ready  sym 
pathy  and  compassion  incident  to  such  a  social  condition. 

"  You  may  infer,  from  what  I  have  said,  the  condition  of  the 
stranger  in  the  midst  of  such  a  community — of  him  of  whom  it  may 
be  said  with  truth,  that  he  interests  no  one.  For  my  part,  I  cannot 
be  too  grateful  for  the  generosity  of  my  relatives :  without  it,  God 
knows  what,  by  this  time,  would  have  become  of  your  wretched 
friend.  Still,  I  am  anxious  about  the  future — the  more  so  since  I 
have  discovered  that  political  misfortunes,  which  have  driven  into 
exile  so  many  of  our  countrymen,  furnish  no  claim  to  the  sympathies 
of  these  republicans.  Many  of  those  with  whom  I  am  already  ac 
quainted  are  so  foolishly  proud  of  their  political  privileges,  that, 
instead  of  pitying,  you  would  fancy  they  intended  to  ridicule  the  less 
favored  condition  of  other  lands.  I  beg  you,  however,  to  consider 
what  I  have  said  on  this  subject  as  hastily  inferred,  and  not  dog 
matically  affirmed.  I  may  be  quite  mistaken  ;  and,  indeed,  to  pretend 
to  give  a  correct  idea  of  a  country  entirely  new  to  me,  after  only  a 
month's  residence,  especially  where  the  aspect  of  things  differs  so 
essentially  from  what  I  have  been  accustomed  to,  would,  I  am  well 
aware,  appear  very  absurd.  Yet  there  is  a  very  just  proverb  which 
says,  that  from,  the  dawn  we  may  augur  the  day ;  and  if  it  be  true,  I 
regret  to  say  that  the  dawn  before  me  seems  most  unpromising. 
Would  that  a  bright  and  cheerful  sun  would  arise  to  dispel  the  mists 
of  doubt,  and  throw  gladness  upon  the  heart  of  your  devoted 
friend ! 


348  AMERICA  AND   HER  COMMENTATORS. 

"28th  April. 

"  Often,  during  my  voyage,  I  promised  myself  great  delight,  upon 
my  arrival,  in  visiting  the  plains  of  Cambridge,  and  the  heights  of 
Dorchester  and  Bunker  Hill,  renowned  as  the  early  scenes  of  the 
American  war.  As  I  read  Botta's  '  History,'  my  imagination  often 
transported  me  to  those  spots  which  he  so  vividly  pictured.  I  longed 
to  find  myself  upon  the  hallowed  ground,  to  render  my  tribute  of 
grateful  admiration  to  the  memory  of  those  noble  men  who  there 
perished  fighting  for  the  liberty  of  their  country.  The  inclement 
season,  however,  has  not  yet  allowed  me  to  realize  my  anticipations. 
"We  are  at  the  end  of  April,  and  yet  the  spring  seems  scarcely  to 
have  commenced. 

"  The  aspect  of  the  environs  of  Boston  is  most  desolate.  The 
earth  is  still  buried  under  the  snow  ;  the  streets  are  covered  with 
ice,  here  and  there  broken  by  the  constant  travelling,  which  renders 
them  almost  impassable.  In  addition,  there  prevails  here,  at  this 
season,  a  most  disagreeable  wind.  It  blows  from  the  east,  and  is  so 
exceedingly  chilly  and  penetrating,  that  it  not  only  destroys  one's  com 
fort,  but  undermines  the  health.  It  seems  to  freeze  my  very  soul, 
and  effectually  drives  away  all  disposition  for  romance.  I  have  been, 
therefore,  constrained  to  remain  in  town,  and  rest  satisfied  with  a 
distant  view  of  the  environs,  until  the  coming  of  a  more  genial 
season. 

"  Although  the  city  is  scarcely  less  gloomy  than  the  country,  it 
is  still  some  amusement  for  the  stranger  to  note  the  pedestrians.  On 
both  sides  of  the  principal  street  you  may  behold  men  of  all  sorts 
and  sizes,  muffled  up  to  their  eyes  in  cloaks,  high-collared  surtouts, 
or  quilted  wrappers,  fur  caps  and  gloves,  woollen  capes,  heavy  boots 
and  heavier  overshoes ;  and,  although  thus  burdened  with  garments — 
weightier  far  than  the  leaden  cloaks  of  Dante's  hypocrites — they  con 
trive  to  shuffle  along  at  the  usual  rapid  rate,  for  they  are  business 
men.  Now  and  then  the  light  figure  of  a  dandy  flits  by,  arrayed  in 
raiment  quite  too  light  for  the  weather,  and  looking  as  blue  as  win 
ter  and  misery  can  make  him.  And  then  the  women — ladies,  I 
mean,  God  bless  them !  women,  there  are  none  here — all  in  their 
gala  dresses,  all  satin  and  muslin,  light  feathered  bonnets,  silk  stock 
ings  and  dancing  shoes,  with  a  bit  of  fur  round  their  necks,  or  the 
skirt  of  their  pelisses,  to  whisper  of  comfort.  Thus  attired,  they  glide 
over  the  ice  with  a  calm  indifference  worthy  of  heroines,  stopping 
occasionally  to  purchase  blonde  lace  or  cough  candy,  and  then  mov 
ing  on  in  the  very  face  of  the  April  breeze  I  have  described  to  you. 

"  To  speak  seriously,  I  had  thought  to  find  in  this  country,  if  not 
the  original,  at  least  the  remains  of  ancient  simplicity.  I  flattered 


ITALIAN  TRAVELLERS.  349 

myself  that  I  should  see,  among  the  descendants  of  those  Puritan 
colonists,  who  were  '  wise  and  modest  in  all  their  wishes,'  a  com 
plete  absence  of  pretension.  But  it  is  not  so.  The  habits  which 
prevail,  and  especially  those  relating  to  dress,  are  most  extravagant. 
In  the  houses,  in  the  streets,  at  every  hour  of  the  day,  you  see^  dis 
played — I  say  not  with  how  much  taste — the  same  dresses  which  our 
female  nobility,  who  are  as  extravagant  %s  any  countesses  in  the 
United  Kingdom,  are  accustomed  to  wear  only  at  soirees,  weddings, 
or  the  opera.  It  is  much  the  same  with  our  sex.  I  will  not  now 
pretend  to  account  for  these  extravagant  habits,  although  I  fancy  I 
have  divined  the  reason.  Yet  I  must  believe  that,  in  this  republic, 
female  dress  is  the  great  item  of  domestic  expense.  The  materiel, 
being  imported  from  abroad,  is  very  dear.  Indeed,  the  price  of 
everything  is  exorbitant.  As  the  saying  is  with  us,  those  who  have 
not  a  house  pay  for  every  sigh ;  and  here  they  cost  not  less  than 
half  a  dollar  or  seventy-five  cents,  each.  And  this  adds  another  to 
the  disadvantages  of  the  stranger,  especially  if,  like  myself,  he  has 
indulged  the  idea  that,  in  this  young  country,  dress  was  not  thought 
to  make  the  man  in  the  same  degree  as  elsewhere,  and  finds  that, 
with  all  their  vaunted  progress,  the  Americans  have  not  gone  an 
iota  beyond  their  predecessors  in  establishing  a  just  standard  of  esti 
mating  mankind ;  and  are  quite  as  prone  to  base  their  judgments 
upon  appearance  rather  than  character.  Nor  can  you  practi 
cally  oppose  such  customs  either  with  your  philosophy  or  indiffer 
ence,  since  the  individual  who  avails  himself  of  the  privileges  of 
social  life  is  bound,  as  far  as  he  can  without  self-debasement,  to  con 
form  to  popular  prejudices ;  and,  indeed,  it  seems  to  me  that  here 
appearances  are  peculiarly  imposing.  Wherever  you  turn,  you  be 
hold  the  names  of  every  description  of  dealer,  from  the  poor  huck 
ster  to  the  rich  merchant,  blazoned  upon  signs  in  gilt  letters,  as  if  to 
impress  the  stranger  with  the  idea  that  he  had  entered  the  most 
prosperous  country  of  the  earth. 

"  But  I  will  speak  to  you  of  the  more  noteworthy  objects  around 
me,  which,  however,  are  not  numerous.  Notwithstanding  the  un 
pleasant  season,  I  have  visited  Cambridge,  with  the  situation  of 
which  I  have  been  much  pleased.  The  village  is  about  three  miles 
and  a  half  from  Boston ;  and,  in  its  centre,  you  find  the  most  ancient 
and  best-endowed  seat  of  learning  existing  in  the  United  States.  It 
is  called  Harvard  University,  and  the  establishment  consists  of  sev 
eral  buildings,  containing  lodging  and  recitation  rooms,  built  of  brick, 
with  one  exception,  all  in  a  simple  style,  which  struck  me  as  happily 
accordant  with  the  character  of  the  institution.  The  law  and  theo 
logical  schools  constitute  a  part  of  the  University.  But  what  par- 


350  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

ticularly  pleased  me  was  the  library,  which,  from  what  I  hear,  is  the 
best  in  the  country,  and,  in  truth,  is  excellent.  Among  other  works, 
there  is  quite  a  collection  of  Italian  books ;  and  many  of  the  edi 
tions  are  beautiful,  and  very  neatly  bound.  You  cannot  imagine  how 
much  I  enjoyed  the  sight  of  so  many  of  our  beloved  authors.  Amid 
the  legacies  of  these  illustrious  dead,  I,  for  the  moment,  forgot  all  my 
private  griefs  and  anxiety^  I  seemed  no  longer  to  be  among  stran 
gers,  for  in  every  one  of  those  books  I  recognized  an  honored  and 
dear  friend  of  my  youth :  so  long  unseen,  and  so  unexpectedly  en 
countered,  they  seemed  to  transport  me  to  a  new  world.  In  truth, 
this  was  the  first  moment  that  I  felt  really  encouraged.  Who  knows, 
I  asked  myself,  but  these  ancient  allies  of  mine  will  introduce  me  to 
their  friends  of  the  New  "World? — and  then  Yorick's  unfortunate 
adventure  with  the  police  of  Paris  occurred  to  me. 

"  Of  the  University,  the  method  of  instruction  pursued,  and  the 
progress  it  has  made,  I  will  tell  you  when  I  am  better  informed.  It 
grieves  me,  at  present,  that  I  cannot  go  every  day  to  Cambridge. 
The  season  being  so  bad,  it  is  necessary  to  ride  thither.  Then,  there 
is  my  dinner.  So  that,  by  a  broad  calculation  (you  see  how  I  have 
already  begun  to  calculate),  the  pleasure  of  six  hours'  reading  would 
daily  make  me  minus  a  dollar.  '  But,'  you  ask,  *  cannot  you  dine 
upon  your  return  in  the  evening  ? '  Yes,  if  they  would  let  me !  But 
here,  even  at  the  hotels,  it  is  not  the  custom  to  order  your  dinner 
when  you  please.  They  treat  us  quite  like  friars ;  and  it  is  neces 
sary,  if  you  would  not  lose  your  dinner,  to  be  at  the  table  punctually 
at  the  stroke  of  two  ;  otherwise — but,  Holy  Virgin !  it  is  the  dinner 
bell.  Wait  only  a  moment,  for  I  must  make  haste  to  be  in  time  for 
the  roast  beef.  In  three  minutes  (all  that  is  required  here)  I  will 
return,  and  continue  my  letter. 

"  I  went,  the  other  day,  with  one  of  our  countrymen,  to  visit  the 
Athenaeum,  which  is  the  only  literary  establishment  in  the  city.  It 
is  supported  by  the  savans  and  aristocracy  of  Boston.  It  has  a 
library  composed  chiefly  of  donations  of  books,  among  which  are 
many  of  the  principal  works  published  in  Europe  and  America,  sev 
eral  literary  and  scientific  journals,  and  numerous  gazettes.  There 
are  also  rooms  containing  casts  and  a  few  marble  statues,  a  small  col 
lection  of  medallions,  and  two  apartments  for  the  study  of  architec 
ture  and  drawing,  but  destitute  both  of  masters  and  pupils,  and  one 
large  hall,  on  the  lower  floor,  used  as  a  reading  room.  The  share 
holders  and  their  friends  are  only  admitted  to  the  Athenosum.  These 
are,  for  the  most  part,  gentlemen  of  leisure  or  idle  people,  according 
to  the  complimentary  title  bestowed  on  them  by  their  fellow  citizens ; 
and  they  go,  as  their  taste  may  be,  to  occupy  their  time  in  the  read- 


ITALIAN   TRAVELLERS.  351 

ing  room,  which  is  open  from  early  morning  till  nine  at  night.  In 
this  room,  there  is  a  rule  inscribed  expressly  prohibiting  conversa 
tion  ;  and  you  see,  to  far  more  advantage  than  in  our  libraries,  so 
many  living  statues  in  every  variety  of  attitude,  often  not  the  most 
graceful,  all  with  a  book  in  hand,  or  intent  upon  a  newspaper.  The 
librarian,  a  very  good  sort  of  man,  has  shown  himself,  like  many 
others,  very  glad  to  see  me.  He  told  me  that,  as  a  stranger,  the 
Athenaeum  would  be  open  to  me  for  the  period  of  one  month ;  but 
that  after  that  time,  if  I  remained,  and  wished  to  continue  my  visits, 
it  would  be  necessary  for  me  to  become  a  subscriber,  like  the  other 
frequenters  of  the  institution.  I  thanked  him  for  his  politeness,  and 
have  shown  how  sincerely  I  valued  it,  by  going  almost  every  day  to 
the  Athena3um ;  and  as  to  the  end  of  the  month,  I  do  not  trouble  my 
head  about  it,  because,  by  that  time,  I  hope  the  weather  will  allow 
me  to  walk  frequently  to  Cambridge.  What  and  how  great  are  the 
advantages  which  result  from  this  institution,  I  leave  you  to  esti 
mate.  The  Athena3um,  however,  now  in  its  infancy,  seems  destined 
to  advance  greatly ;  and  if,  one  day,  it  should  become  a  public  estab 
lishment,  it  cannot  but  be  of  lasting  benefit  to  Boston.  And  truly, 
in  a  city  like  this,  which  I  hear  called  the  Athens  of  America,  there 
should  be,  if  nothing  else,  a  rich  library  freely  open  to  the  people. 
Thus  you  see  that,  both  in  and  out  of  town,  I  have  not  failed  to  find 
the  means  of  becoming  learned  and  illustrious.  All  these  literary 
advantages,  however,  are  reduced  to  nothing  to  a  poor  devil  who  is 
in  the  situation  of  being  obliged  to  derive  profit  from  the  little  he 
knows,  rather  than  from  what  still  remains  to  him  to  be  acquired. 
And  this  necessity  has  urged  me  to  seek  an  occupation  at  every  sac 
rifice  ;  and,  having  gone  the  rounds  with  the  diploma  of  a  young 
letterato,  the  office  which,  for  the  moment,  I  can  most  certainly 
obtain,  is  that  of  a  teacher  of  our  language.  And  I  have,  indeed, 
one  scholar,  a  lean  doctor  of  medicine,  to  whom,  as  he  has  the  merit 
of  being  connected  with  a  relative  who  is  intimate  with  one  of  the 

family  of ,  who  pays  me  my  remittances,  I  give  my  lessons 

gratis.  This  has  been,  thus  far,  my  greatest  resource.  But  this  gen 
tle  minister  of  death  gives  me  promise  of  an  introduction  among  his 
patients — of  whom,  as  yet,  I  have  not  caught  even  a  glimpse.  How 
ever,  I  am  obliged  to  trot  every  day,  at  the  expense  of  my  poor  legs, 
to  the  doctor's  door,  which  is  no  little  distance  from  mine.  I  go  very 
punctually,  but  often  only  to  find  him  asleep  in  his  chair,  and  dozing 
while  I  read  the  lesson — which,  moreover,  I  am  obliged  to  explain 
through  the  medium  of  a  French  grammar.  This  avaricious  San- 
grado  piques  himself  not  a  little  upon  his  egregious  lisping  of  the 
French ;  and  to  this  day  I  have  been  unable  to  induce  him  to  buy 


352  AMERICA  AND  HER  COMMENTATORS. 

another  grammar.  But,  somehow  or  other,  I  hope  soon  to  send  him 
on  a  journey  to  Elysium,  to  carry  my  compliments  to  his  master 
Hippocrates. 


"  May  1th. 

"  I  am  angry  with  you.  Five  packets  have  arrived  since  I  landed ; 
and  every  day  I  hurry  anxiously  to  the  post  office,  only  to  hear  the 
same  chilling  negative  to  my  ardent  inquiry  for  letters.  I  have  even 
conceived  quite  an  antipathy  to  the  stiff,  laconic  postman,  who  some 
times  deigns  no  other  reply  than  a  cold  shake  of  the  head.  Yet  you 
promised  to  write  me  at  the  end  of  the  first  month  after  my  em 
barkation.  How  can  I  forgive  such  neglect  ?  And  what  reasonable 
excuse  can  you  offer  ?  Perhaps  you  allege  the  uncertainty  of  my 
fate.  Yet,  had  I  gone  to  my  last  sleep  in  the  bosom  of  old  Neptune, 
think  you  a  friendly  letter  would  not  have  been  a  pleasant  offering 
to  my  manes  ?  Nay,  Eugenio,  you  know  not  the  comfort  a  few  lines 
from  you  would  bring  to  the  heart  of  a  poor  friend.  I  am  homesick. 
My  feelings  seem  dead  to  all  that  surrounds  me.  I  seem  condemned 
to  the  constant  disappointment  of  every  cherished  hope  ;  and,  were 
I  able  to  express  all  I  feel,  I  could  unfold  a  most  pitiable  story  of 
mental  suffering.  Do  you  realize,  Eugenio,  how  far  I  am  from  home, 
and  all  that  is  dear  to  me  ? — that  I  am  living  in  a  weary  solitude 
which  I  sometimes  fear  will  drive  me  mad  ?  "With  affections  most 
tenderly  alive,  and  a  nature  that  would  fain  attach  itself  to  all 
around,  I  find  not  here  a  single  congenial  being  or  idea  upon  which 
my  heart  can  repose.  A  stranger  to  everything,  I  am  by  all  regarded 
as  a  stranger,  and  read  that  forbidding  name  in  the  expression  of  all 
whom  I  approach.  Did  I  carry  the  remorse  of  a  criminal  in  my 
bosom,  I  could  not  meet  the  gaze  of  my  fellow  beings  with  less  con 
fidence.  The  few  whom  I  have  known  thus  far,  are,  for  the  most 
part,  merchants  or  commonplace  people,  too  much  occupied  in  their 
own  affairs  to  relish  interruption  during  their  leisure  hours.  But 
when  I  fall  in  with  them,  they  instantly  tender  the  old  salutation, 
'  Glad  to  see  you,'  coupled  with  an  invitation  to  their  counting 
houses,  where  they  are  too  busy  to  talk,  and  content  themselves  with 
proffering  a  chair  and  the  newspaper.  These  manners  result  from  a 
mode  of  life  very  different  from  that  which  prevails  in  Europe :  still 
they  are  painfully  striking  to  the  novice,  especially  if  he  be  one  of 
those  who  know  not  how  to  support  the  toil  and  vexation  of  exist 
ence,  unsoothed  by  those  cheering  palliatives  with  which  we  are  wont 
to  sweeten  the  bitter  cup  of  life.  You  well  know  that  I  was  never 
over  fond  of  general  society,  nor  took  much  delight  in  the  heartless 
glitter  of  fashionable  life.  But  what  I  voluntarily  avoided  at  home, 


ITALIAN   TRAVELLERS.  353 

is  not  a  little  desirable  here,  as  a  relief  from  the  loneliness  of  my 
position.  Yet  the  only  house  at  which  I  can  spend  an  evening  with 

any  pleasure,  is  that  of  our  countryman  B ,  who,  with  the  true 

feeling  of  Italian  hospitality,  at  once  made  me  at  home  under  his 
roof.  I  meet  him,  too,  occasionally  in  my  walks,  and  we  converse 
of  our  country,  our  literature,  and,  most  frequently,  of  our  misfor 
tunes.  God  knows  how  grateful  I  am  for  his  sympathy,  without 
which  it  seems  as  if  I  should  have  died  of  weariness  and  grief.  Yet 
our  conversations  sometimes  serve  to  renew  most  keenly  the  mem 
ory  of  my  sorrows — which  I  fain  would  bury  in  the  bottom  of  my 
heart— and  send  me  back  to  my  little  chamber  to  find  more  sadness 
than  before,  in  the  companionship  of  my  own  thoughts.  That  which 
renders  me  most  anxious,  is  the  harassing  doubt  which  seems  to 
attend  my  steps.  I  feel  already  that  I  am  a  burden  to  my  relatives. 
Every  day,  which  passes  without  advancing  me  in  an  occupation  from 
which  I  can  derive  support,  seems  lost.  Although  I  have  not  neg 
lected,  nor  shall  neglect,  seeking  for  every  honest  mode  of  relieving 
them  from  this  care,  yet  I  feel  a  species  of  remorse,  as  if  I  were 
abusing  their  generosity ;  and  the  bread  I  eat  tastes  bitter,  when  I 
reflect  that  the  expense  of  my  bare  subsistence,  even  with  all  the 
economy  I  can  practise,  in  these  times,  and  under  existing  circum 
stances,  would  half  support  the  family  of  my  afflicted  mother.  Thus 
my  days  pass,  sustained  only  by  hope  and  the  promises  of  my  new 
friends.  Now  and  then,  as  at  this  moment,  I  write  to  those  dear  to 
me  by  way  of  solacing  my  bleeding  heart ;  but  even  this  occupation 
is  painful  to  me,  since  I  can  only  write  of  my  afflictions. 

';Ah,  Eugenio,  how  aggravating  is  now  the  remembrance  of  all 
your  kind  advice  !  It  is  true,  in  an  important  sense,  that  man  is  the 
creator  of  his  own  destinies.  With  how  much  care  and  ingenuity  do 
we  raise  the  funeral  pile,  which  is  to  consume  our  hopes  and  burn 
our  very  hearts !  It  is  true,  indeed,  that  if  I  had  reconciled  myself 
to  existing  circumstances,  and  allowed  to  subside  the  first  force  of 
those  feelings  which  even  you,  with  all  your  natural  wisdom,  could 
not  but  confess  were  generous  and  noble  ;  and  especially  had  I  opened 
my  eyes,  and  calmly  looked  those  illusions  in  the  face,  in  which  so 
many  of  our  young  men,  and  I  among  the  rest,  so  inconsiderately 
confided,  it  is  true  I  should  not  have  experienced  the  bitterness  of 
the  present.  But  how  could  I  contemplate  the  miseries  of  our  coun 
try,  and  not  glow  with  indignation  at  beholding  all  the  rare  gifts 
which  Heaven  and  nature  had  so  beiiignantly  bestowed,  rendered 
unavailing — made  but  the  occasion  of  tears  to  us  all — every  fountain 
of  good  dried  up,  or  poisoned  by  the  envy  and  iniquity  of  man  ? 
How  could  I  admit  the  idea  that  I  ought  to  sacrifice  my  thoughts  and 


354  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

dearest  sentiments,  merely  for  the  sake  of  pursuing,  at  home,  one  of 
our  genteel  professions,  which,  after  all,  could  not  preserve  me  from 
the  general  degradation,  nor,  perhaps,  from  infamy  ?  And  should  I 
have  done  so  ?  And  why  ?  From  the  cowardly  fear,  perhaps,  of 
being  exiled  from  the  land  of  my  fathers,  when,  in  the  huoyancy  of 
youth,  I  could  turn  to  another  country — far  distant,  it  is  true,  but 
free  ;  to  a  country  in  which  I  could  obtain  a  subsistence  without  sac 
rificing  one  of  my  opinions ;  where,  even  now,  notwithstanding  I 
may  be  made  deeply  to  realize  the  axiom  that  mankind  are  the  same 
everywhere,  I  do  not  see  all  around  me  the  aspect  of  misery  and  un- 
happiness,  nor  daily  instances  of  the  petty  vengeance  and  cold-hearted 
injustice  of  our  tyrants ;  where  the  cheerful  prospect  of  peace  and 
universal  prosperity  almost  reconciles  one  to  the  inevitable  evils  inci 
dent  to  human  society ;  where,  at  least,  thought  and  speech  are  not 
crimes,  and  you  can  cherish  the  hope  of  a  better  future  without  see 
ing  beside  you  the  prison  or  the  gallows ;  where  the  mind  can  ex 
pand  unfettered  by  any  servile  chain — yes,  the  mind,  which  I  now 
feel  as  free  within  me  as  when  it  was  first  bestowed  by  God. 

"  And  yet  I  complain !  It  is  true  ;  and  I  well  know  what  you 
will  reply  to  these  letters,  which  I  write  only  for  the  pleasure  of 
being  with  you,  even  while  we  «are  separated.  But  if  you  have  the 
heart  to  charge  all  the  blame  to  me,  I  would  beg  you,  Eugenio,  to 
remember  that  every  tear  teaches  a  truth  to  mortals,  and  that  I,  too, 
am  one  of  those  numerous  creatures,  made  up  of  weaknesses  and 
illusions,  who  drag  themselves  blindly,  and  without  knowing  where 
or  why,  in  the  path  of  inexorable  fate.  Now  that  I  feel  that  there 
never  existed  so  great  a  necessity  for  bringing  about  an  alliance  be 
tween  my  reason  and  my  heart,  I  cannot  discover  the  method  by 
which  to  accomplish  it,  and  the  task  never  seemed  more  impractica 
ble.  Reason,  which  levels  everything  with  her  balance  to  a  just 
equilibrium,  and  reduces,  by  calculation,  all  things  to  a  frigid  system, 
you  have  adopted  as  your  goddess ;  and  truly  she  is  a  most  potent 
divinity,  and  often  have  I  invoked  her  aid,  and  supplicatingly  adored 
her  power.  Yet  this  heart  of  mine  is  such  a  petty  and  obstinate 
tyrant,  that  it  will  never  yield  the  palm  even  when  fairly  conquered ; 
and,  in  its  waywardness,  takes  a  wicked  pleasure  in  pointing  out  the 
naked  coldness  of  your  divinity,  and  setting  her  before  me  in  a  most 
uninviting  light.  Hence  it  is  that  I  am  devoured  with  the  desire  of 
home ;  nor  will  all  the  charms  of  glory,  or  the  smiles  of  fortune, 
lure  me  from  the  dearer  hope  of  reunion  with  the  land  and  the  loved 
of  my  heart.  Yet  who  knows  where  I  shall  leave  my  bones  ?  "Who 
knows  if  these  eyes  shall  close  eternally  to  the  light  amid  the  tears 
of  my  kindred,  or  whether  friendship  and  love  will  linger  sorrowfully 
near  to  receive  my  last  eigh  ? 


ITALIAN  TRAVELLERS.  355 

"Addio.  I  commend  to  you  my  mother.  This  phrase  would  be 
meaningless  to  any  but  you.  I  have  used  it  to  express  all  I  feel  for 
that  tenderest  of  beings — for  her  whom  I  continually  behold  in  ima 
gination,  weeping  and  desolate.  If  the  voice  of  pity  and  friendship 
are  powerful  in  your  heart,  I  pray  you,  Eugenio,  leave  her  not  un- 
consoled.  Thou  must  be  as  another  child  to  her,  and  ever  remember 
that  she  is  the  mother  of  thy  friend. 

"  May  \f>th. 

"  This  morning  I  rose  full  of  anxiety.  The  moment  I  awoke,  my 
first  thought  was  of  you,  of  my  family,  and  of  the  delay  of  your 
letters  ;  and  the  sound  of  the  breakfast  bell  first  aroused  me  from  my 
painful  reverie.  I  descended,  swallowed  a  single  cup  of  coffee,  and, 
quick  as  thought,  hastened  to  the  office.  I  did  not  expect  to  find  let 
ters,  but  having  given  my  name,  and  perceiving  that  the  postman  did 
not  return  the  customary  nod  of  refusal,  my  heart  began  to  palpitate 
strongly.  I  did  not  deceive  myself.  I  have  my  mother's  letter  to 
which  you  have  made  so  large  an  addition,  and  I  have  been  till  this 
moment  shut  up  in  my  room,  reading  it  over  and  over  again,  and 
bathing  every  line  with  my  tears.  God  reward  you  for  all  your  care 
and  your  love  for  me  !  I  trust  that,  ere  this,  you  have  received  my 
first  letters,  and  thus  been  relieved  of  all  anxiety  on  my  account.  I 
thank  you  for  all  the  news  you  give  me,  and  especially  for  what  you 
tell  me  respecting  our  young  companions,  who,  I  rejoice  to  know, 
are  now  quite  free  from  the  ill-founded  suspicions  of  Government. 
The  condition  of  Italy,  however,  seems  to  grow  more  sad  every  day ; 
and  you  write  me  that  many  are  rejoicing  at  the  rumor  of  imminent 
war,  and  in  the  hope  that  our  old  liberators  will  again  reappear 
among  us.  For  my  part,  however,  I  cannot  but  tremble  with  you, 
since  now  there  is  less  certainty  than  ever  that  aught  will  remain  to 
us  but  injuries  and  derision.  The  present  and  past  misfortunes  of 
our  country  should  have  taught  us  that,  if  there  is  anything  to  hope, 
it  is  from  ourselves  alone  ;  and  it  is  certain,  that  if  the  new  subjects 
of  the  new  citizen-king  descend  again  from  the  mountains,  there  is 
reason  to  believe  that  the  disgraces  of  bygone  times  will  be  renewed 
in  Italy,  and  it  will  be  our  lot  to  transmit  another  record  of  shame 
and  cowardly  execrations. 

"  From  your  literary  news,  I  learn  that  the  Anthology  of  Flor 
ence  has  been  abolished,  and,  as  usual,  by  command  of  Austria.  I 
had  made  no  little  search  for  the  last  number.  Be  it  so.  The  sup 
pression  of  that  work  is  only  one  other  insult  to  our  condition,  but 
not  a  serious  loss  to  the  nation,  since  the  writers,  who  perhaps  set 
out  with  the  idea  of  undeceiving  the  Italians,  are  themselves  the 


356  AMEKICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

very  ones  who  propagate  .their  unfortunate  illusions ;  and  in  that 
journal,  which  was  doubtless  the  best  we  had,  they  also  said  too 
much,  and  without  profit.  In  these  times,  there  exist  no  Alfieris  or 
Foscolos ;  and  the  new  school,  which  promised  so  much  by  its  his 
torical  romances,  has  thus  far  accomplished  little  enough,  if  we  ex 
cept  one  or  two  sermons  on  passive  obedience.  Botta  remains,  but 
he  is  alone ;  and  the  soul  of  Tacitus,  which  sho,uld  be  devoted  to  so 
exalted  a  work,  is  wanting  to  him.  Moreover,  his  thoughts,  although 
grand  and  sacred,  are  rather  understood  readily  by  those  who  think, 
than  felt  deeply  by  the  mass,  with  that  profound  sense  of  despera 
tion,  from  which  alone  a  real  change  and  constancy  of  opinion  are  to 
be  hoped  for  among  the  Italians. 

"  To  tell  you  the  truth,  I  believe  we  are  so  susceptible  of  illu 
sions,  that  the  intellectual  energy  of  no  writer  whatever  can  avail 
anything  in  eradicating  from  the  hearts  of  our  countrymen  the  weak 
nesses  which  are  as  old  as  our  servitude,  and  which  are  strongly 
maintained  by  the  consciousness  of  general  debasement  and  actual 
incapacity,  as  well  as  by  the  small  degree  of  virtue  and  the  total 
absence  of  ambition  on  the  part  of  our  princes.  I  desired  to  allude 
to,  these  circumstances,  in  reply  to  that  part  of  your  letter  wherein 
you  recommend  me  not  to  forget  Italy  and  our  studies.  But,  as  yet, 
you  seem  unaware,  that  in  this  land  I  have  conceived  a  love  of  conn- 
try  not  only  more  powerful  than  ever,  but  instinct  with  a  desperate 
earnestness  which  consumes  my  heart.  Wherever  I  turn,  the  aspect 
of  all  the  civil  and  social  benefits  enjoyed  by  this  fortunate  people, 
fills  me,  at  the  same  time,  with  wonder,  admiration,  and  immense 
grief.  Not  that  I  envy  the  Americans  their  good  fortune,  which,  on 
the  contrary,  I  ardently  rejoice  in,  and  desire,  as  much  as  any  one  of 
themselves,  may  be  forever  continued  to  the  land.  But  I  think  of 
Italy,  and  know  not  how  to  persuade  myself  why  her  condition 
should  be  so  different  and  so  sad.  I  do  not  allude  to  the  general 
policy  of  the  country,  but  I  speak  of  what  I  see  every  day  while 
walking  the  streets — a  quiet  population,  incessantly  intent  upon  in 
dustry  and  commerce,  without  being  retarded  by  civil  restrictions  or 
tyrannical  extortions,  by  the  subterfuges  of  official  harpies,  or  by  the 
machinery  of  so  many  hungry  and  shameless  financiers,  nor  yet 
continually  irritated  by  the  insufferable  and  cowardly  insolence  of 
the  ministers  of  the  law,  who,  either  in  the  military  garb,  or  as  civil 
officers,  or  in  the  form  of  police,  are  the  vilest  instruments  of  Euro 
pean  tyranny — the  pests  of  the  state,  consuming  its  substance  and 
resources,  and  corrupting  the  manners  and  morals  of  the  people. 
Here,  I  have  not  yet  seen  in  the  streets  a  single  soldier,  nor  one 
patrol  of  police,  nor,  in  fact,  any  guard  of  the  public  safety ;  and, 


ITALIAN   TRAVELLERS.  357 

having  occasion  to  go  to  the  Custom  House,  I  was  quite  astonished 
to  see  the  simplicity  of  the  forms,  the  expedition  with  which  affairs 
were  conducted,  and  the  small  number  of  officers  employed.  In 
deed,  this  people  seem  like  a  large  and  united  family,  if  not  bound 
together  by  affection  and  reciprocal  love,  at  least  allied  by  a  common 
and  certain  interest,  and  the  experience  that  the  good  of  all  is  the 
good  of  the  individual.  Every  one  who  has  the  will  to  labor  will 
easily  find  occasion  for  its  free  practice  and  most  adequate  recom 
pense.  Not  being  incited  by  opportunity  and  the  keen  necessities  of 
life,  crimes  are  rare,  violences  almost  unheard  of,  and  poverty  and 
extreme  want  unknown.  In  the  streets  and  markets,  and  in  every 
place  of  public  resort,  you  behold  an  activity,  a  movement,  an 
energy  of  life,  and  a  continual  progress  of  affairs ;  and  in  the  move 
ments  and  countenances  of  the  people,  you  can  discern  a  certain  air 
of  security,  confidence,  and  dignity,  which  asks  only  for  free  scope. 
I  know  not  how  it  is,  but  often  I  pause  thoughtfully  in  the  midst  of 
the  thoroughfare,  to  contemplate  the  scene  around  me.  I  sometimes 
find  myself  standing  by  some  habitation,  and  my  fancy  begins  to  pic 
ture  it  as  the  sanctuary  of  every  domestic  and  social  virtue — as  the 
cradle  of  justice  and  piety — as  the  favorite  sojourn  of  love,  peace, 
and  every  human  excellence.  And  my  heart  is  cheered,  arid  bleeds 
at  the  same  time,  as  I  then  revert  to  Italy,  and  imagine  what  might 
be  her  prosperity,  and  how  she  might  gloriously  revive,  and  become 
again  mistress  of  every  virtue  and  every  noble  custom,  among  the 
nations  of  the  world. 

"  Judge,  then,  if  I  have  forgotten,  or  if  it  will  be  possible  for  me  to 
forget  Italy,  as  long  as  I  remain  in  this  country.  For  the  rest,  as  I 
have  before  said,  I  am  only  made  the  more  constantly  to  remember 
my  native  land.  I  am  told,  and  begin  to  realize,  that  here,  as  well 
as  there,  Utopian  views  of  politics,  morals,  religion,  and  philosophy, 
have  long  prevailed,  and  promise  to  grow  more  luxuriously  than 
ever,  and  become,  perhaps,  fatal  to  the  prosperity  and  liberty  of  this 
land.  It  is,  however,  no  small  consolation  for  the  moment,  to  reflect, 
that  the  doctrines  of  this  nation  do  not  depend  upon  the  letterati,  or 
rather,  that  the  country  does  not  look  to  that  class  for  its  salvation  ; 
which,  as  such,  has  no  voice  in  the  capital.  There  are  here  no  mere 
questions  of  language;  no  romanticists  or  classicists  who  cannot 
understand  each  other  ;  no  imperial  nor  royal  academicians  of  gram 
mar  ;  no  furious  pedants  who  are  continually  disputing  how  we 
should  write,  nor  any  that  pretend  to  dictate  how  we  should  think. 
Eloquence  is  here  the  true  patrimony,  and,  in  fact,  the  most  formi 
dable  weapon  for  good  or  for  evil,  in  the  hands  of  the  people,  who 
estimate  it  more  or  less  by  the  standard  of  their  wants  or  individual 


358  AMEEICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

partialities.  I  will  tell  you,  however,  from  time  to  time,  in  future 
letters,  as  I  become  better  informed  on  these  subjects.  Yet  expect 
not,  I  pray  you,  from  me,  either  statistics,  disquisitions,  or  a  travel 
ler's  journal,  since  you  know  I  came  hither  in  quite  another  capacity. 

There  goes,  with  this,  another  letter  to  our  young  friend  B ,  who 

writes  me  that  he  desires  to  come  and  seek  his  fortune  in  the  United 
States.  You  will  see  my  reply ;  and,  to  dissuade  him  still  more  from 
the  project,  let  him  see  what  I  have  written  you.  Addio.  Live  ever 
in  the  love  of  your  friends,  of  letters,  of  your  country,  and  of  yours, 


An  errant  countryman  of  ours,  with  the  ready  wit  of  an 
educated  New  Englander,  when  sojourning  in  London,  after 
a  long  visit  to  the  Continent,  being  disappointed  in  his  remit 
tances,  conceived  the  idea  of  replenishing  his  purse  by  a  spir 
ited  article  for  one  of  the  popular  magazines,  wherein  he 
imagined  the  sayings  and  doings  of  a  Yankee  ruler  suddenly 
placed  at  the  head  of  affairs  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples.  The 
picture  was  salient  and  unique,  and  amused  the  public.  We 
were  irresistibly  reminded  thereof  by  a  little  brochure 
wherein  the  process  here  described  is  exactly  reversed,  and, 
Instead  of  a  Yankee  letterato  in  Naples,  we  have  a  Neapolitan 
priest  in  America.  So  grotesquely  ignorant  and  absurdly 
superstitious  and  conservative  is  the  spirit  of  this  brief  and 
hasty  record,*  that  we  cannot  but  regret  the  naive  writer  had 
not  extended  his  tour  and  his  chronicle  ;  for,  in  that  case,  we 
should  have  had  the  most  amusing  specimen  extant  of  mod 
ern  Travels  in  America.  The  author  was  a  chaplain  in  the 
navy  of  his  Majesty  of  Naples.  Lie  describes  the  voyage  of 
the  frigate  Urania  during  a  nearly  two  years'  cruise  from 
Castellamare  to  Gibraltar,  thence  via  Teneriffe  to  Pernam- 
buco;  Rio  Janeiro,  and  St.  Helena,  to  New  York  and  Boston, 
and  back  to  Naples  by  way  of  England  and  France.  In  his 
dedication  of  the  "  Breve  Racconto  "  to  the  very  reverend 
chaplain  of  Ferdinand  II,  he  declares  he  finds  "  non  pochi 

*  "  Breve  Racconto  delle  cose  Chiesastiche  piu  Important!  occorse  nel 
viaggio  fatto  sulla  Real  Fregata  Urania,  dal  15  Agosto,  1844,  al  4  Marzo, 
1846,  per  Raffaele  Capobianco,  Cavaliere  del  Real  Ordine  del  Merito  di  Fran 
ceses  I.  e  Capellano  della  Real  Marina,"  Napoli,  1846. 


ITALIAN   TRAVELLEKS.  359 

consolazioni "  in  having  gathered  "  some  fruits  in  the  vine 
yard  of  the  Lord  "  during  his  perilous  voyage  ;  but  he  adds, 
"  the  rivers  are  but  little  grateful  for  the  return  of  the  water 
they  yielded  in  vapor ; "  and  so  this  dedication  and  descrip 
tion  are  but  a  poor  return  to  "  our  fountain  of  wisdom  and 
virtue."  The  style,  spirit,  ideas  in  this  little  journal  are  quite 
medieval.  The  simplicity  and  ignorance  and  bigotry  of  the 
roving  ecclesiastic  are  the  more  striking  from  their  contrast 
with  the  times  and  places  of  which  he  writes.  Imagine  a 
priest  or  friar  suddenly  transported  from  the  Toledo  to 
Broadway,  and  it  is  easy  to  solve  what  would  otherwise  be 
enigmatical  in  this  childish  narrative.  He  mentions,  with 
pious  reflections,  the  death  of  a  mariner  at  sea  from  "  nos 
talgia;"  lauds,  at  the  South  American  ports,  the  Roman 
Catholic  religion,  remarking  its  aptitude  to  "  generalmente 
insinuarsi  nel  cuore  del  popolo  docile."  At  Rio  Janeiro  he 
celebrates  the  feast  of  the  Virgin  ;  and  to  the  devout  manner 
in  which  the  ship's  company  commended  themselves  to  her, 
he  attributes  their  subsequent  miraculous  escape  from  ship 
wreck.  Thus,  he  writes,  "  God  showed  himself  content  with 
our  homage  to  the  Virgin."  They  keep  Palm  Sunday  on 
board,  with  palms  brought  from  St.  Helena.  He  describes 
summarily  the  aspect  of  the  cities  they  visit,  gives  the  alti 
tude  of  the  peak  of  Tenerifte,  notes  the  zones  and  tropics,  the 
rites,  and  rate  of  their  progress.  "  La  navigazione  felice," 
he  observes,  "  arrise  alle  pie  devozioni."  On  entering  New 
York  harbor,  the  chaplain  says  we  passed  "  il  grande  forte 
Hamilton,  e  finalmente  la  Fregata,"  after  six  thousand  miles 
of  navigation,  "  dropt  her  anchor  opposite  the  Battery  gar 
den,  built  in  the  sea,  and  joined  to  the  continent  by  a  wooden 
bridge  about  two  hundred  feet  long."  He  remarks  upon  the 
public  buildings,  observing  that  the  Exchange  was  "  rebuilt 
in  1838,  and  is  destined  for  a  hospital;"  that  the  Croton 
water  "  serves  for  conflagrations,  which  are  very  frequent," 
and  that  "  il  commercio  6  attivissimo."  He  descants  upon 
"  la  immensita  de  vapori,"  declaring  that  the  ferry  boats 
carry  "  not  only  loaded  carts,  ten  or  fifteen  at  a  time,  but  also 


360  AMERICA   AND   HEK    COMMENTATOKS. 

bath-houses,  with  every  convenience."  His  most  elaborate 
descriptions,  however,  are  reserved  for  the  Catholic  churches 
— St.  Patrick's,  St.  Peter's,  St.  Giuseppe,  and  the  Church  of 
the  Transfiguration,  where  he  celebrated  mass.  He  admires 
the  "  Campanile"  of  "  il  Tempio  colossale  degli  Episcopal! " 
(Trinity  Church),  and  is  charmed  with  the  "  Seminario  Cat- 
tolico,"  through  which  he  was  conducted  by  "  quel  gentile  e 
virtuoso  vescovo  Monsignore  Hus  " — doubtless  the  late  Bishop 
Hughes.  The  Italian  priests,  the  juvenile  choristers,  and  the 
church  music  excite  his  enthusiasm.  Crowds  of  Catholics, 
he  tells  us,  came  on  board  the  frigate  to  hear  the  sailors,  sing 
"  Salva  Regina."  Romanism,  he  declares,  has  "  profound 
root "  in  the  United  States,  and  "  daily  grows,"  though  the 
Episcopalians  still  strive  "  to  infuse  into  the  human  heart  the 
poison  that,  in  1603,  came  from  Elizabeth's  successor."  He 
calls  the  Protestant  sects  "  tristi  piante,"  and  gives  a  list 
thereof,  adding,  "  and  to  finish  the  noisome  catalogue,  to  con 
fusion  add  confusion,  with  the  Quakers  and  Hebrew  syna 
gogues."  "  II  nemico  infernale,"  he  says,  tried  to  insinuate 
his  "  veleno  dell'  errore "  into  the  ship.  Protestant  emissa 
ries  from  the  Bible  Society  came  on  board  to  distribute  the 
Scriptures  "  senza  spirito  santo ! "  His  indignation  at  this 
proceeding  is  boundless.  "  Era  mai  possibile,"  he  exclaims, 
"  che  i  ciechi  illuminassero  gli  illuminati  e  che  intiepidessoro 
nel  el  cuore  de  Napolitani  quella  Religione  che  il  Principe 
stesso  degli  Apostoli  venne  a  predicare  nella  loro  citta !  "  * 

Leaving  New  York,  the  pious  chaplain  was  "  swept  from 
the  shores  of  the  Hudson  to  Cape  Cod,"  and,  on  the  3d  of 
June,  entered  "the  wonderful  and  picturesque  bay  "'of  Bos 
ton,  to  the  sound  of  greeting  cannon,  and  surrounded  "  by 
gondolas,  whence  arose  cordial  hurrahs"  ("ben  venga"). 
Boston,  says  the  erudite  chaplain,  "  was  founded  by  English 
colonists  from  Boston  in  England.  Bunker  Hill  monument 
was  commenced  in  1827  by  the  celebrated  engineer,  O'Don- 

*  "  As  if  it  were  possible  for  the  blind  to  enlighten  the  enlightened,  and 
weaken  in  the  hearts  of  Neapolitans  that  religion  which  the  Prince  of  the 
Apostles  himself  came  to  preach  in  their  own  city." 


ITALIAN  TRAVELLERS,  361 

nell  Webster,  under  the  presidency  of  the  celebrated  La 
fayette  ! "  He  describes  the  public  edifices,  and,  among  them, 
the  "  Casa  di  Citta,"  u  which  rises  from  a  height  near  the 
public  garden,  and  presents  a  majestic  appearance,  with  col 
umns  of  white  marble"  Among  the  memorable  names  of 
streets,  he  observes,  is  "that  of  Franklin,  who  drew  the 
lightning  from  heaven."  Of  the  churches,  he  only  remem 
bers  the  Cathedral,  the  care  and  prosperity  of  which  he 
ascribes  "  to  that  excellent  prelate,  Fitzpatrick."  Again  he 
congratulates  himself  upon  the  progress  of  his  Church — 
thanks  to  the  labors  "  della  propagazione  delle  fede " — and 
declares  that  "  the  net  of  St.  Peter  does  not  fail  to  fish  up 
many  new  souls  from  the  turbid  sea  of  error."  Although 
made  up  of  all  nations,  "  the  Americans,"  says  the  Neapoli 
tan  padre,  "  follow  the  habits  and  customs  of  the  English." 
From  Boston  the  frigate  went  to  Holland  and  to  England, 
from  Plymouth  to  Brest,  thence  to  Carthagena  and  Toulon, 
the  island  of  Zante  and  Navarino,  all  of  which  places  are 
briefly  noted;  and  from  the  latter  they  proceed  to  Naples, 
which  harbor  and  city  the  delighted  chaplain  hails  as  the 
cradle  of  Tasso  and  the  tomb  of  Virgil;  saluting,  in  the 
facile  rhetoric  of  his  native  tongue,  Mergellina,  "  where  rest 
the  ashes  of  Sannazaro,"  Herculaneum,  Pompeii,  and  the  light 
"  del  nostro  sole,  un  perpetuo  e  vivissimo  verde,  1'ombrifero 
pino,  il  pomposo  cipresso,  1'odorato  arancio,  una  sopredente 
moltitudine  di  eleganti  casine  sparse  per  tutta  quanto  la 
costa,  stanze  di  un  popolo  vivacissimo  ed  amorevole !  "  At 
length,  two  steamers  sent  by  "  la  benignita  de  Re  "  approach 
the  Urania,  and  the  loyal  and  loving  Padre  Capobianco  in 
vokes  Heaven's  blessing  on  his  head  and  reign,  and,  "  in  the 
midst  of  the  joy  and  affection  of  kindred  and  friends,"  kisses 
his  native  earth. 

Every  American  who  has  travelled  in  Europe  has  some 
extraordinary  anecdote  to  relate  of  the  ignorance  there  exist 
ing  in  regard  to  the  geography,  history,  and  condition  of  his 
country ;  but,  perhaps,  the  questions  asked  him  are  nowhere 
so  absurd  as  in  Sicily.  Her  isolated  position  before  the  ad- 
16 


362  AMEEICA  AND  HEK   COMMENTATOKS. 

vent  of  Garibaldi,  and  the  prevalent  want  of  education, 
explain  the  phenomenon.  Two  things  chiefly  the  Sicilians 
know  about  America — that  she  imports  fruit,  sulphur,  and 
rags  from  the  island,  and  affords  a  safe  asylum  for  political 
refugees.  At  the  seaports,  especially  in  Syracuse,  our  naval 
officers  are  remembered  as  the  most  liberal  of  gentlemen.  A 
deputation,  not  many  years  since,  when  the  American  squad 
ron  in  the  Mediterranean  wintered  there,  waited  on  the  com 
modore,  and  offered  to  cooperate  with  him  in  annexing  Sicily 
to  the  United  States.  A  spacious  hotel  was  built  at  Syracuse, 
under  the  expectation  that  the  fine  harbor  of  that  ancient  city 
would  become  the  permanent  rendezvous  of  our  fleet ;  but 
the  jealousy  of  Bomba  interposed,  and  Mahon  continued  to 
be  the  depot  of  our  national  ships,  until  Spezzia  was  substi 
tuted.  Within  a  short  period  it  was  impossible  to  find  in 
Sicily  a  book  that  could  enlighten  a  native,  in  the  Italian  lan 
guage,  as  to  the  actual  resources  and  institutions  of  America. 
In  1853,  however,  one  of  the  Palermo  editors  published  a 
volume  giving  an  account  of  his  experience  in  the  United 
States,  with  statistics  and  political  facts,  interspersed  with  no 
small  amount  of  complacent  gossip.  The  novelty  of  the 
subject  then  and  there  seemed  to  atone  for  the  superficial  and 
egotistic  tone.  Yery  amusing  it  was  to  an  American  so- 
journer  in  the  beautiful  Sicilian  capital,  to  glance  at  the 
"  Viaggio  nella  America  Settentrionale  di  Salvatore  Abbate  e 
Migliori."  We  have  seen  what  kind  of  gossip  the  French 
and  English  indulge  in  while  recording  their  experience  in 
America ;  let  us  compare  with  it  a  Sicilian's.  He  avows  his 
object  in  visiting  the  New  World — to  ascertain  for  himself 
how  far  the  unfavorable  representations  of  a  well-known  class 
of  British  travellers  are  correct.  He  gravely  assures  his 
countrymen  that,  although  foreigners  are  kindly  received 
there,  the  Government  does  not  pay  for  the  transit  of  emi 
gres.  The  great  characteristic  which  naturally  impressed  a 
subject  of  Ferdinand  of  Naples,  was  the  non-interference  of 
Government  with  private  persons  and  affairs,  except  when 
the  former  have  rendered  themselves  directly  amenable  to  the 


ITALIAN   TRAVELLERS.  363 

law,  by  some  invasion  of  the  rights  of  others — an  inestimable 
privilege  in  the  view  of  one  who  has  lived  under  espionage, 
sbirri,  and  the  inquisition.  All  things  are  gauged  by  the  law 
of  contrast  in  this  world ;  and  it  is  curious,  with  the  bitter 
and  often  just  complaints  of  Englishmen  of  the  discomforts 
of  travel  in  America  fresh  in  mind,  to  note  the  delight  with 
which  a  Sicilian,  accustomed  to  the  rude  lettiga,  hard  mule, 
precarious  fare,  and  risk  of  encountering  bandits,  expatiates 
upon  the  safety,  the  society,  and  abundant  rations  accorded 
the  traveller  in  the  Western  world.  "  Ecco,"  exclaims  Salva 
ge,  after  describing  a  delightful  tete-a-tete  with  a  fair  com 
panion  in  the  cars,  and  a  hearty  supper  on  board  the  steamer 
en  route  from  Boston  to  New  York,  "  ECCQ  il  felice  modo  di 
viaggiare  negli  Stati  Uniti  sia  per  terra  che  per  acqua ; 
divertimenti  sociali  e  senza  prejudizii,  e  celerita  di  viaggio 
liber  o  dai  fur  tori  e  dagli  assassini." 

The  festa  bells  of  some  saint  are  forever  ringing  in  Sicily ; 
and,  although  our  traveller  found  holidays  few  and  far  be 
tween  in  this  busy  land,  he  describes,  with  much  zest,  the  first 
of  May,  New  Year's,  and  St.  Valentine's  Day  in  New  York. 
His  journal,  while  there,  is  quite  an  epitome  of  what  is  so 
familiar  to  us  as  to  be  scarcely  realized,  until  thus  "  set  in  a 
note  book,"  as  the  strange  experience  of  a  Southern  Euro 
pean.  To  him,  intelligence  offices  for  domestics,  mock  auc 
tions,  the  Empire  Club,  anniversaries  of  national  societies, 
the  frequency  of  conflagrations,  matrimonial  advertisements, 
the  extent  of  insurance,  the  variety  and  modes  of  worship 
of  Protestant  sects,  the  number  and  freedom  of  public  jour 
nals,  the  unimpeded  association  of  the  sexes,  and  the  size  and 
splendor  of  the  fashionable  stores  and  hotels,  are  features 
and  facts  of  metropolitan  life  so  novel  as  to  claim  elaborate 
description.  Amusement  is  an  essential  element  of  life  to  an 
Italian,  fostered  by  his  sensibility  to  pleasant  excitement,  and 
his  long  political  vassalage.  Accordingly,  Salvatore  devotes 
no  inconsiderable  portion  of  his  book  to  the  public  entertain 
ments  available  in  our  cities.  Few  Americans  imagine  how 
much  an  enthusiastic  foreigner  can  find  to  gratify  his  taste 


364  AMERICA  AND   HER  COMMENTATORS. 

and  divert  his  mind  in  New  York.  The  careers  of  the  cele 
brated  English  actors,  Italian  opera  singers,  and  German 
pianists,  the  concerts  of  Ole  Bull  and  De  Meyer,  the  military 
balls,  travelling  circuses,  public  dinners,  private  soirees^  and 
theatres,  afford  Salvatore  a  theme  upon  which  he  dilates  as 
only  one  of  his  sensitive  and  mercurial  race  can ;  and  the 
American  reader  is  astonished  to  discover  what  abundant 
provision  for  the  pleasure  seeker  may  be  found  in  our  utilita 
rian  land. 

More  grave  interests,  however,  are  not  forgotten.  A  suc 
cinct  but  authentic  account  is  given  of  some  of  the  aborigi 
nal  tribes ;  our  constitutional  system  is  clearly  stated ;  the 
details  of  government  in  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States  are 
defined ;  the  means  and  methods  of  education ;  the  cereals, 
trees,  rivers,  charitable  institutions,  agricultural  and  mechani 
cal  industry  of  the  country,  are  intelligently  explained  and 
illustrated;  and  thus  a  considerable  amount  of  important 
information  afforded,  altogether  new  to  the  mass  of  his 
countrymen.  This  is  evidently  collected  from  books  of  refer 
ence  ;  and  its  tone  and  material  form  an  absolute  contrast  to 
the  light-hearted  and  childish  egotism  of  the  writer's  own 
diary,  wherein  the  vanity  of  a  versifier  and  sentimentalism 
of  a  beau  continually  remind  us  of  the  amiable  gallants  and 
dilettante  litterateurs  we  have  met  among  Salvatore's  country 
men.  His  generalizations  are  usually  correct,  but  tinctured 
with  his  national  temperament.  He  describes  the  Americans 
as  "a  little  cold,  thoughtful,  sustained,  grave,  positive  in 
speech  and  argument,  brave,  active,  intelligent,  and  true  in 
friendship."  The  Northerners,  he  says,  "  are  born  with  the 
instinct  of  work,  and  in  physiognomy  are  like  Europeans." 
Though  there  are  "  not  many  rich,  most  are  comfortable ; 
and,  though  few  are  learned,  the  great  majority  are  intelli 
gent.  Labor  is  a  social  requisition ;  moderate  fortunes  and 
large  families  abound ;  and  the  test  question  in  regard  to  a 
stranger  is,  '  What  can  he  do  ?  ' '  He  sums  up  the  peculiar 
advantages  of  the  country  as  consisting  of  "  a  good  climate, 
a  fertile  soil,  salubrious  air  and  water,  abundance  of  pro  vis- 


ITALIAN   TRAVELLERS.  365 

ions,  adequate  pay  for  labor,  good  laws,  affable  women,  en 
couragements  to  matrimony,  freedom,  and  public  education  " 
— each  and  all  of  which  he  seems  to  appreciate  from  the  con 
trast  they  afford  to  the  civil  wrongs  and  social  limitations  of 
his  own  beautiful  land,  not  then  emancipated  from  the  most 
degrading  of  modern  despotisms.  He  notes  the  temperature 
with  care,  and  has  occasion  to  realize  its  extreme  alternations. 
To  a  Sicilian,  a  snowstorm  and  sleighing  must  prove  a  winter 
carnival ;  and  Salvatore  gives  a  chapter  to  what  he  calls  "  La 
citta  nel  giubello  della  neve."  He  finds  the  American  women 
charming,  and  marvels  at  the  extent  and  variety  of  their  edu 
cational  discipline,  giving  the  programme  of  studies  in  a 
fashionable  female  seminary  as  one  of  the  wonders  of  the 
land ;  and  also  a  catalogue  of  popular  and  gifted  female 
writers,  as  an  unprecedented  social  fact  in  his  experience. 
Salvatore  was  a  great  reader  of  newspapers  while  in  this 
country,  and  was  in  the  habit  of  transcribing,  from  those 
"  charts  of  busy  life,"  characteristic  incidents  and  articles 
wherewith  to  illustrate  his  record  of  life  in  America.  He 
was  puffed  by  editorial  friends,  and  mentions  such  compli 
ments,  as  well  as  the  publication  of  some  of  his  own  verses, 
with  no  little  complacency ;  as,  for  instance,  "  Quest'  oggi, 
contra  ogui  mi  a  aspettazione,  si  e  pubblicato  nel  giornale — 
Evening  Post,  un  elogio  dando  a  conoscere  agli  Americani  lo 
scopo  del  mio  viaggio,"  &c. ;  and  elsewhere,  "  il  mio  addio 
all'  America  e  stato  messo  in  musica." 

One  of  the  latest  publications  of  Italian  origin,  although 
written  in  the  French  language  and  by  a  French  citizen,  is 
that  of  a  Corsican  officer,  one  of  Prince  Napoleon's  suite,  on 
his  brief  visit  to  the  United  States,  in  the  summer  of  1861.* 

Eighteen  hundred  leagues  traversed  in  two  months,  "  more 
with  eyes  than  ears  or  mind,"  would  seem  to  afford  a  most 
inadequate  basis  for  discussion  where  grave  facts  of  national 
polity  and  character  are  its  subjects ;  but  when  the  author  of 
such  a  record  begins  by  confessing  himself  mistaken  as  a 

*  "  Lettres  sur  les  £tats-Unis  d'Amerique,"  par  le  llieutenant-Colonel 
Ferri  Pisani,  Aide-de-camp  de  S.  A.  I.  le  Prince  Napoleon,  Paris,  1862. 


366  AMERICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

prophet,  and  disclaims  all  pretensions  to  other  accuracy  and 
interest  than  can  be  found  in  a  "  point  de  vue  general,"  and 
"  portraits  saisis  au  vol,"  and  "  resumes  de  conversations  fugi 
tives,"  we  accept  his  report  and  speculations  with  zest,  if  not 
with  entire  satisfaction,  and  accompany  his  rapid  expedition, 
animated  descriptions,  and  thoughtful  though  hasty  com 
mentary,  with  the  more  pleasure  inasmuch  as  the  temper 
and  tone  of  both  indicate  an  experienced  traveller,  a  shrewd 
observer,  and  a  cultivated  thinker.  The  time  of  this  visit 
and  date  of  its  record  give  thereto  an  interest  apart  from  any 
intrinsic  claim.  America  had  just  been  converted  from  a 
world  of  peaceful  industry  to  a  scene  of  civil  war.  The 
Gallic  visitors  compared  the  crisis  to  that  which  had  once 
hurled  France  into  anarchy  and  military  despotism ;  and  be 
held  here  a  mighty  army  improvised  in  the  Free  States,  with 
no  apparent  check  to  their  industrial  prosperity ;  and  govern 
mental  powers  assumed  to  meet  the  exigency  without  pro 
voking  any  popular  distrust  in  the  rectitude  of  the  authori 
ties  or  the  safety  of  their  rights ;  arrests,  proscription,  and 
enlistments  were  sanctioned  by  public  confidence ;  in  a  word, 
the  patriotism  of  an  instructed  people  was  the  safeguard  of 
the  republic. 

It  is  remarkable  that  a  writer  whose  mind  was  so  pre 
occupied  with  the  exciting  military  scenes  and  imminent 
political  problems  of  the  day,  should  have  become  so  thor 
oughly  and  justly  impressed  with  the  religious  phenomena 
of  the  Eastern  States,  tracing  their  development  from  the 
Pilgrims  to  Edwards,  and  thence  to  Whitfield  and  Channing ; 
and  the  conflicts  of  faith  thus  foreshadowed.  "  Les  iStats- 
Unis,"  he  writes,  "  presentent  en  ce  moment  des  spectacles 
bien  emouvants.  Les  armees  s'entrechoquent  sur  tous  les 
points  de  leur  immense  territoire.  Une  race  qui  semblait 
devoir  realiser  1'ideal  pacifique  de  I'humanite  moderne  se 
transforme  tout  a  coup  en  un  peuple  belliqueux  et  se  dechire 
de  ses  propres  mains.  D'autre  part  Fesclavage  se  dresse,  au 
milieu  des  horreurs  de  la  guerre,  come  une  question  de  vie  ou 
de  mort,  devant  laquelle  reculent  et  le  philosophe,  et  1'homme 
18* 


ITALIAN  TRAVELLERS.  367 

d'etat  et  Feconomiste.  Eh  bien  !  faut-il  vous  1'avouer,  mon 
colonel,  tons  ces  faits  extraordinaires,  dont  nous  sommes 
temoins,  et  qui  rempliront  un  jour  1'histoire  de  ce  siecle,  ont 
a  mes  yeux  une  portee  moins  redoutable  que  celui  que  nous 
venons  de  trouver  a  Boston,  un  de  ees  faits  qui  bouleversent 
la  condition  de  1'homme,  sans  s'inscrire,  comme  les  grands 
evenements  politiques,  en  traits  de  feu  et  du  sang,  dans  sa 
memoire.  Je  veux  parler  de  I'etablissement  du  Deisme  dans 
le  nouveau  monde  sous  la  forme  d'une  religion,  d'une  Eglise, 
du  Deisme,  non  plus  enseigue  par  une  philosophic  speculative, 
mais  pratique  comme  un  culte,  comme  un  principe  moral  et 
social,  par  1'elite  de  la  soci6te  Americaine,  et  faisant,  au  de- 
pens  du  Protestantisme,  les  progres  les  plus  effrayants." 
Thereupon  we  have  a  treatise  on  "Protestantism,"  from 
Edwards  and  Whitfield  to  Channing;  the  Puritans,  the 
voluntary  church  system,  rationalism,  &c.,  "  face  a  face  avec 
le  Catholicisme  ; "  and  he  concludes  with  the  prophecy  that 
"  ce  sera  entre  ces  deux  champions  que  se  livrera  le  combat 
supreme  qui  decidera  des  destinees  futures  de  1'humanite." 

Colonel  Pisani's  letters  are  a  striking  illustration  of  the 
facilities  of  modern  travel.  He  describes  the  complete  and 
elegant  appointments  of  the  swift  and  safe  steam  yacht  in 
which  Prince  Napoleon,  his  wife,  and  suite,  after  visiting 
various  points  of  the  Old  World,  crossed  the  ocean,  and,  in  a 
very  few  weeks,  saw  half  a  continent.  They  entered  the 
harbor  of  New  York,  a'fter  days  of  cautious  navigation 
owing  to  the  dense  fog,  which,  fortunately,  and  almost  dra 
matically,  lifted  just  as  they  sailed  up  the  beautiful  bay,  re 
vealing,  under  the  limpid  effulgence  of  a  summer  day,  a  spec 
tacle  which  enchanted  the  Colonel,  familiar  as  he  was  with 
the  harbors  of  Naples  and  Constantinople. 

The  reader  can  scarcely  help  finding  a  parallel  in  this  sud 
den  and  delightful  change  in  the  natural  landscape,  with  that 
which  exists  between  the  preface  and  the  text  of  this  work, 
in  regard  to  the  national  cause.  Arriving  at  the  moment 
when  the  defeat  of  the  Federal  army  at  Bull  Run  had  spread 
dismay  among  the  conservative  traders,  and  warmed  to  im- 


368  AMEEICA  AND  HER  COMMENTATORS. 

prudent  exultation  the  traitors  of  the  North,  all  the  travel 
lers  heard  from  the  official  representatives  of  their  country 
who  greeted  their  arrival,  was  discouraging — almost  hopeless 
for  the  republic.  His  Highness  thought  otherwise,  and 
viewed  the  national  cause  with  unshaken  confidence ;  but 
Colonel  Pisani,  in  giving  his  letters  to  the  public,  a  year 
afterward,  found  himself  obliged  to  retract  premature  fore 
bodings,  and  admit  a  reaction  and  reversal,  not  only  of  the 
fortunes  of  war,  but  of  the  vital  prospects  of  the  nation. 
Midsummer  is  the  worst  period  of  the  year  for  a  foreigner  to 
arrive  in  New  York — a  fact  this  writer  scarcely  appreciated, 
as  he  regards  the  deserted  aspect  of  the  palatial  residences  as 
their  normal  condition,  and  speaks  of  the  then  appearance  of 
the  population  as  if  it  were  characteristic.  Surprised  by  the 
courteous  urbanity  of  those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact 
in  shops,  streets,  and  public  conveyances,  he  contrasts  this 
superiority  of  manners  with  his  anticipations  of  ruffianism, 
and  with  the  utter  neglect  of  municipal  method  and  decency. 
The  American  steamboats  and  railways  are  fully  discussed 
and  described.  Broadway  seems  to  Pisani  a  bazaar  a  league 
and  a  half  in  length.  He  misses  the  taste  in  dress  familiar 
to  a  Parisian's  eye,  thinks  the  horses  and  harnesses  fine,  but 
the  horsemen  and  equipages  inferior.  Despite  "  les  indus 
tries  de  luxe,"  men  of  leisure,  varied  culture,  and  special 
tastes  seemed  quite  rare,  and  the  average  physiognomy  un 
attractive.  The  architecture  and  aspect  of  the  hotels  strike 
him  as  sombre  compared  with  those  of  Paris ;  and  he  de 
clares  every  gamin  of  that  metropolis  would  ridicule  our 
popular  and  patriotic  fetes  as  childish  attempts  thereat,  which 
he  attributes  to  the  basis  of  Anglo-Saxon  reserve  in  the  na 
tional  character,  wherein  "  1'expression  de  la  pensee  est  rare- 
ment  dans  un  rapport  exact  avec  la  pensee  elle-meme."  De 
centralization,  and  all  its  phenomena,  naturally  impress  his 
mind,  accustomed  to  routine  and  method ;  and  the  manner  of 
recruiting  and  organizing — in  fact,  the  whole  military  regime 
of  the  country — offers  salient  points  of  comment  and  criticism 
to  one  who  has  long  witnessed  the  results  of  professional  life 


ITALIAN  TRAVELLEKS.  369 

in  this  sphere.  Visiting  Philadelphia,  Washington,  and  the 
great  lakes,  adapting  themselves  to  the  customs  and  the  peo 
ple,  examining  all  things  with  good-natured  intelligence,  this 
record  contains  many  acute  remarks  and  suggestive  generali 
zations.  We  have  numerous  portraits  of  individuals,  sketches 
of  scenery,  reflections  on  the  past,  and  speculations  as  regards 
the  future.  The  absence  of  a  concierge  at  the  White  House, 
the  naivete  of  the  new  President,  the  character  and  principles 
of  statesmen  and  of  parties,  are  subjects  of  candid  discus 
sion.  The  mines  of  Lake  Superior,  the  community  of  Rapp- 
ists,  McCormick's  manufactory  of  "  engins  agricoles,"  the 
local  trophies  and  the  economical  resources  of  the  country, 
find  judicious  mention.  While  the  Colonel  is  indignant  at 
the  "  curiosite  brutale  "  encountered  in  the  West,  he  pays  a 
grateful  tribute  to  the  hospitality  of  the  people.  At  Pitts- 
burg,  the  site  of  Fort  Duquesne,  he  reverts  with  pride  and 
pathos,  to  the  French  domination  on  this  continent,  recalls  its 
military  successes,  and  laments  its  final  overthrow.  At  Mount 
Vernon  he  thinks  of  Lafayette's  last  visit,  and  sadly  contrasts 
that  period  of  republican  enthusiasm  and  prosperity  with  the 
sanguinary  conflict  of  the  passing  hour.  Indeed,  the  value 
and  interest  of  these  letters  consist  in  the  vivid  glimpses 
they  afford  of  the  darkest  hour  in  our  history  as  a  free  peo 
ple,  and  the  indirect  but  authentic  testimony  thus  afforded  to 
the  recuperative  and  conservative  power  of  our  institutions 
and  national  character.  Colonel  Pisani  accompanied  Prince 
Napoleon  in  his  visits  to  the  camps  of  both  armies,  and  heard 
their  respective  officers  express  their  sentiments  freely.  Hare 
in  the  history  of  war  is  such  an  instance  of  dual  observation 
apparently  candid  ;  seldom  has  the  same  pen  recorded,  within 
a  few  hours,  impressions  of  two  hostile  forces,  their  aspect, 
condition,  aims,  animus^  and  leaders.  Rapid  as  was  the  jour 
ney  and  hasty  the  inspection,  we  have  many  true  and  vivid 
pictures  and  portraits ;  and  it  is  interesting  to  note  how 
gradually  but  surely  the  latent  resources  of  the  country,  the 
absolute  instincts  of  the  popular  will,  and  the  improved  be 
cause  sustained  force  of  the  Government,  are  revealed  to  the 
16* 


370  AMERICA  AND   HER  COMMENTATORS. 

mind  of  this  pleasant  raconteur,  who  brings  home  to  the 
American  reader  the  moral  crisis,  so  memorable  in  the  retro 
spect,  which  succeeded  our  premature  battle  for  national 
honor  and  life — whose  vital  current,  thus  baffled,  shrank  back 
to  the  heart  of  the  republic,  only  to  return  with  fresh  and 
permanent  strength  to  every  vein  in  the  body  politic,  and 
vitalize  the  popular  brain  and  heart  with  concentrated  patri 
otic  scope,  insight,  and  action.  Absorbing,  however,  as  was 
the  question  of  the  hour  even  to  a  casual  sojourner,  the 
physical,  social,  and  economical  traits  of  the  country  were 
only  more  sympathetically  examined  by  the  intelligent  party 
of  the  Prince  because  of  the  war  cloud  that  overhung  them ; 
and  we  are  transported  from  inland  sea  and  lonely  prairie  to 
the  capital  of  Xew  England,  where,  says  the  Colonel,  "  for 
the  first  time  I  believed  myself  in  Europe,"  and  to  quite  other 
society  than  the  governmental  circles  at  Washington  or  the 
financial  cliques  of  Xew  York.  At  Cambridge  and  Bos 
ton,  with  Agassiz,  Felton,  Everett,  and  others,  he  found  con 
genial  minds.  The  speech  of  the  latter  at  a  parting  banquet 
given  the  Prince,  is  noted  as  a  model  of  tact  and  rhetoric ; 
while  "  Vive  la  France,"  the  refrain  of  Holmes'  song,  with 
happy  augury  cheered  their  departure. 


CHAPTEE   X. 

AMERICAN    TRAVELLERS   AND    WRITERS. 

JOHN  AND  WILLIAM  BARTRAM  ;  MADAME  KNIGHT  ;  LEDYARD  ;  CAR 
VER  ;  JEFFERSON;  IMLAY;  DWIGHT;  COXE;  INGERSOLL;  WALSH; 
PATJLDING;  FLINT;  CLINTON;  HALL;  TUDOR;  WIRT;  COOPER; 
HOFFMAN;  OLMSTED;  BRYANT;  GOVERNMENT  EXPLORATIONS; 
WASHINGTON;  MRS.  KIRKLAND;  IRVING;  AMERICAN  ILLUSTRA 
TIVE  LITERATURE;  BIOGRAPHY;  HISTORY;  MANUALS;  ORATORY; 
ROMANCE;  POETRY;  LOCAL  PICTURES;  EVERETT,  HAWTHORNE, 
CHANNING,  ETC. 

THERE  is  one  class  of  travellers  in  America  that  have 
peculiar  claims  upon  native  sympathy  and  consideration ;  for 
neither  foreign  adventure  nor  royal  patronage,  nor  even  pri 
vate  emolument,  prompted  their  journeyings.  Natives  of 
the  soil,  and  inspired  either  by  scientific  or  patriotic  enthusi 
asm — not  seldom  by  both — they  strove  to  make  one  part  of 
our  vast  country  known  to  the  other ;  to  reveal  the  natural 
beauties  and  resources  thereof  to  their  neighbors,  and  to 
Europeans  ;  and  to  promote  national  development  by  careful 
exploration  and  faithful  reports.  All  the  intelligent  pioneers 
of  our  border  civilization  more  or  less  enacted  the  part  of 
beneficent  travellers.  Public  spirit,  in  colonial  and  later  times, 
found  scope  in  expeditions  which  opened  paths  through  the 
wilderness,  tested  soil,  climate,  and  natural  productions,  and 
estimated  the  facilities  hitherto  locked  up  in  primeval  soli- 


372  AMERICA  AND  HER   COMMENTATORS. 

tudes.  Washington's  early  surveys,  Boone's  first  sojourn  in 
the  woods  of  Kentucky,  Clinton's  visit  to  Western  "New 
York  to  trace  the  course  of  the  Erie  Canal,  are  examples  of 
this  incidental  kind  of  home  travel,  so  useful  to  the  early 
statesmen  and  the  political  economists.  At  subsequent 
periods,  the  natural  features  of  the  Great  West  were  revealed 
to  us  by  Flint  and  Hall ;  New  England  local  and  social  traits 
were  agreeably  reported  by  Tudor  and  Dwight ;  Lewis  and 
Clarke  gave  the  first  authentic  glimpses  of  the  Rocky  Moun 
tains  and  the  adjacent  plains,  afterward  so  bravely  traversed 
by  Fremont  and  others ;  and  Schoolcraft  gathered  up  the 
traditions  and  the  characteristics  of  those  regions  still  occu 
pied  by  the  aborigines ;  and  while  Audubon  tracked  the 
feathered  creation  along  the  whole  Atlantic  coast,  Percival 
examined  every  rood  of  the  soil  of  Connecticut. 

Among  the  most  interesting  of  the  early  native  travellers 
in  America,  are  the  two  Bartrams.  Their  instinctive  fond 
ness  for  nature,  a  simplicity  and  veneration  born  of  the  best 
original  Quaker  influence,  and  habits  of  rural  work  and  medi 
tation,  throw  a  peculiar  charm  around  the  memoirs  of  these 
kindly  and  assiduous  naturalists,  and  make  the  account  they 
have  left  of  their  wanderings  fresh  and  genial,  notwithstand 
ing  the  vast  progress  since  made  in  the  natural  sciences. 
John  Bartram's  name  is  held  in  grateful  honor  by  botanists, 
as  "  the  first  Anglo-American  who  conceived  the  idea  of 
establishing  a  botanic  garden,  native  and  exotic."  He  was 
lured  to  this  enterprise,  and  its  kindred  studies,  by  the  habit 
of  collecting  American  plants  and  seeds  for  his  friend,  Peter 
Collinson,  of  London.  Encouraged  by  him,  Bartram  began 
to  investigate  and  experiment  in  this  pleasant  field  of  inquiry. 
He  was  enabled  to  confirm  Logan's  theory  in  regard  to  maize, 
and  to  illustrate  the  sexes  of  plants.  From  such  a  humble 
and  isolated  beginning,  botany  expanded  in  this  country  into 
its  present  elaborate  expositions.  The  first  systematic  enu 
meration  of  American  plants  was  commenced  in  Holland,  by 
Gronovius,  from  descriptions  furnished  by  John  Clayton,  of 
Virginia.  As  early  as  1732,  Mark  Catesby,  of  Virginia,  had 


AMEEICAN  TEAVELLEES   AND  WEITEES.  373 

published  a  volume  on  the  "  Natural  History  of  Carolina, 
Florida,  and  the  Bahamas."  Golden,  of  New  York,  corre 
sponded  with  European  botanists,  from  his  sylvan  retreat 
near  Newburg.  We  have  already  noticed  the  visit  to 
America  of  a  pupil  of  Linnaeus — Peter  Kalm.  The  labors 
of  Logan,  Dr.  Mitchell,  Dr.  Adam  Kuhn  of  Philadelphia, 
the  first  professor  of  botany  there,  the  establishment  of  Ho- 
sack's  garden  in  New  York,  Dr.  Schoeffs,  Humphrey  Mar 
shall,  Dr.  Cullen  of  Berlin,  the  two  Michauxs,  Clinton,  and 
the  Abbe  Correa,  promoted  the  investigation  and  elucidation 
of  this  science  in  America,  until  it  became  associated  with  the 
more  recent  accomplished  expositors.  But  with  the  earliest 
impulse  and  record  thereof,  the  name  of  John  Bartram  is 
delightfully  associated  ;  and  it  is  as  a  naturalist  that  he  made 
those  excursions,  the  narrative  of  which  retains  the  charm  of 
ingenuous  zeal,  integrity,  and  kindliness.  John  Bartram  was 
born  in  Delaware,  then  Chester  County,  Penn.,  in  1699.  His 
great-grandfather  had  lived  and  died  in  Derbyshire,  England ; 
his  grandfather  followed  William  Penn  to  the  New  World, 
and  settled  in  the  State  which  bears  the  famous  Quaker's 
name ;  his  father  married,  "  at  Darby  meeting,  Elizabeth 
Hunt,"  and  had  three  sons,  of  whom  John,  the  eldest,  in 
herited  from  an  uncle  the  farm.  His  early  education  was 
meagre,  as  far  as  formal  teaching  is  concerned.  He  studied 
the  grammar  of  the  ancient  languages,  and  had  a  taste  for 
the  medical  art,  in  which  he  acquired  skill  enough  to  make 
him  a  most  welcome  and  efficient  physician  to  the  poor.  It 
is  probable  that,  as  a  simpler,  seeking  herbs  of  alleviating 
virtues,  he  was  won  to  that  love  of  nature,  especially  fruits, 
flowers,  and  plants,  which  became  almost  a  ruling  passion. 
But,  according  to  the  exigencies  of  the  time  and  country, 
Bartram  was  an  agriculturist  by  vocation,  and  assiduous 
therein  ;  yet  this  did  not  prevent  his  indulging  his  scientific 
love  of  nature  and  his  philosophic  instinct :  he  observed  and 
he  reflected  while  occupied  about  his  farm.  The  laws  of 
vegetation,  the  loveliness  of  flowers,  the  mysteries  of  growth, 
were  to  him  a  perpetual  miracle.  To  the  thrift  and  sim- 


374:  AMERICA  AND  HER  COMMENTATORS. 

plicity  of  life  common  among  the  original  farmers  of  Amer 
ica,  he  united  an  ardent  love  of  knowledge  and  an  admira 
tion  of  the  processes  and  the  products  of  nature — partly  a 
sentiment  and  partly  a  scientific  impulse.  Purchasing  a  tract 
on  the  banks  of  the  Schuylkill,  three  miles  from  Philadelphia, 
he  built,  with  his  own  hands,  a  commodious  dwelling,  culti 
vated  five  acres  as  a  garden,  and  made  continual  journeys  in 
search  of  plants.  The  place  became  so  attractive,  that  visit 
ors  flocked  thither.  By  degrees  he  gained  acquaintances 
abroad,  established  correspondence  and  a  system  of  ex 
changes  with  botanists,  and  so  laid  the  foundation  of  botani 
cal  enterprise  and  taste  in  America.  This  hale,  benign,  and 
wise  man,  rarely  combining  in  his  nature  the  zeal  and  ob 
servant  habitude  of  the  naturalist  with  the  serene  self-posses 
sion  of  the  Friend,  travelled  over  a  large  part  of  the  country, 
explored  Ontario,  the  domain  of  the  Iroquois,  the  shores  and 
sources  of  the  Hudson,  Delaware,  Schuylkill,  Susquehanna, 
Alleghany,  and  San  Juan.  At  the  age  of  seventy  he  visited 
Carolina  and  Florida. 

Peter  Collinson  wrote  of  him  to  Golden  as  a  "  wonderful 
natural  genius,  considering  his  education,  and  that  he  was 
never  out  of  America,  but  is  a  husbandman."  "  His  obser 
vations,"  he  adds,  "  and  accounts  of  all  natural  productions, 
are  much  esteemed  here  for  their  accuracy.  It  is  really 
astonishing  what  a  knowledge  the  man  has  attained  merely 
by  the  force  of  industry  and  his  own  genius." 

The  journal*  of  his  tour  was  sent  to  England,  and  was 
published  "  at  the  instance  of  several  gentlemen."  The  pre 
face  shows  how  comparatively  rare  were  authentic  books  of 
Travel  from  natives  of  America,  and  how  individual  were 
Bartiarn's  zeal  and  enterprise  in  this  respect.  "  The  inhab 
itants  of  all  the  colonies,"  says  the  writer,  "  have  eminently 

*  "  Observations  on  the  Climate,  Soil,  Rivers,  Productions,  &c.,  made  by 
John  Bartram  in  his  Travels  from  Pensilvania  to  Onondaga,  Oswego,  and 
the  Lake  Ontario  in  Canada ;  to  which  is  annexed  a  Curious  Account  of  the 
Cataracts  of  Niagara,  by  Mr.  Peter  Kalm,  a  Swedish  Gentleman  who  travelled 
there,"  London,  1751. 


AMEKICAN   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  375 

deserved  the  character  of  industrious  in  agriculture  and 
commerce.  I  could  wish  they  had  as  well  deserved  that  of 
adventurous  inland  discoverers  /  in  this  they  have  been  much 
outdone  by  another  nation,  whose  poverty  of  country  and 
unsettled  temper  have  prompted  them  to  such  views  of  ex 
tending  their  possessions,  as  our  agriculture  and  commerce 
make  necessary  for  us  to  imitate." 

The  region  traversed  by  Bartram  a  little  more  than  a  cen 
tury  ago,  and  described  in  this  little  volume,  printed  in  the 
old-fashioned  type,  and  bearing  the  old  imprimatur  of  Fleet 
street,  is  one  across  and  around  which  many  of  us  have  flown 
in  the  rail  car,  conscious  of  little  but  alternate  meadows, 
woodland,  streams,  and*  towns,  all  denoting  a  thrifty  and 
populous  district,  with  here  and  there  a  less  cultivated  tract. 
Over  this  domain  Bertram  moved  slowly,  with  his  senses 
quickened  to  take  in  whatsoever  of  wonder  or  beauty  nature 
exhibited.  He  experienced  much  of  the  exposure,  privation, 
and  precarious  resources  which  befall  the  traveller  to-day  on 
our  Western  frontier ;  and  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  that  the 
calm  and  patient  naturalist,  as  he  notes  the  aspects  of  nature 
and  the  incidents  of  a  long  pilgrimage,  is  only  passing  over 
the  identical  ground  which  the  busy  and  self-absorbed  vota 
ries  of  traffic  and  pleasure  now  daily  pass,  with  scarcely  a 
consciousness  of  what  is  around  and  beside  them  of  natural 
beauty  or  productiveness.  It  is  worth  while  to  retrace  the 
steps  of  Bartram,  were  it  only  to  realize  anew  the  eternal 
truth  of  our  poet's  declaration,  that 

"  To  him  who  in  the  love  of  nature  holds 
Communion  with  her  visible  forms,  she  speaks 
A  varied  language." 

It  was  on  the  3d  of  July,  1743,  that  John  Bartram  set 
out,  with  a  companion,  from  his  home  on  the  Schuylkill.  His 
narrative  of  that  summer  journey  from  the  vicinity  of  Phila 
delphia  to  Lake  Ontario,  reads  like  the  journal  of  some  intel 
ligent  wayfarer  in  the  far  West ;  for  the  plants  and  the  ani- 


376  AMEPwICA   AND   HEK   COMMENTATORS. 

mals,  the  face  of  the  country,  the  traveller's  expedients,  the 
Indian  camps,  and  the  isolated  plantations,  bring  before  us  a 
thinly  scattered  people  and  wild  region,  whereof  the  present 
features  are  associated  with  all  the  objects  and  influences  of 
civilization.  Flocks  of  wild  turkeys  and  leagues  of  wild 
grass  are  early  noted  ;  the  variety  and  character  of  the  trees 
afford  a  constant  and  congenial  theme ;  swamps,  ridges,  hol 
lows  alternate ;  chestnuts,  oaks,  pines,  and  poplars  are  silent 
but  not  unwelcome  comrades ;  snakes,  as  usual,  furnish  curi 
ous  episodes  :  Bartram  observed  of  one,  that  he  "  contracted 
the  muscles  of  his  scales  when  provoked,  and  that,  after  the 
mortal  stroke,  his  splendor  diminished."  He  remarks,  at  one 
place,  "  the  impression  of  shells  ujton  loose  stones ; "  he  is 
annoyed  by  gnats ;  and,  in  an  Indian  lodge,  "  hung  up  his 
blanket  like  a  hammock,  that  he  may  lie  out  of  fleas."  He 
lingers  in  an  old  aboriginal  orchard  well  stocked  with  fruit 
trees ;  swims,  creeks,  coasts  rivers,  lives  on  duck,  deer,  and 
"  boiled  squashes  cold  ;"  smokes  a  pipe — "  a  customary  civil 
ity,"  he  says,  "  when  parties  meet."  Here  he  finds  "  excellent 
flat  whetstones,"  there  "an  old  beaver  dam;"  now  "roots 
of  ginseng,"  and  again  "sulphurous  mud;"  one  hour  he  is 
drenched  with  rain,  and  another  enraptured  by  the  sight  of  a 
magnolia ;  here  refreshed  by  the  perfume  of  a  honeysuckle, 
and  there  troubled  by  a  yellow  wasp.  No  feature  or  phase 
of  nature  seems  to  escape  him.  He  notes  the  earth  beneath, 
the  vegetation  around,  and  the  sky  above ;  fossils,  insects, 
Indian  ceremonies,  flowers  ;  the  expanse  of  the  "  dismal  wil 
derness,"  the  eels  roasted  for  supper,  and  the  moss  and  fun 
gus  as  well  as  locusts  and  caterpillars.  He  travelled  on  foot 
to  the  Onondaga,  and  paddled  down  in  a  bark  canoe  to  the 
Oneida,  "  down  which  the  Albany  traders  come  to  Oswego." 
He  stops  at  a  little  town  thereabout  "  of  four  or  five  cabins," 
where  the  people  live  "  by  catching  fish  and  assisting  the 
Albany  people  to  haul  their  bateaux."  In  this  region  of 
railways  and  steamboats,  such  were  then  the  locomotive 
facilities.  Nor  less  significant  of  its  frontier  wilderness  is 
Bartram's  description  of  the  spot  which  has  long  flourished 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS    AND   WRITERS.  377 

as  the  grain  depot  and  forwarding  mart  of  "Western  New 
York,  where  immense  warehouses  line  the  river,  and  fleets  of 
barges,  steamers,  and  schooners  cluster  along  the  lake  shore. 
Oswego  is  identified  with  his  picture  mainly  by  the  topogra 
phy.  "  On  the  point  formed  by  the  entrance  of  the  river 
stands  the  fort,  or  Trading  Castle.  It  is  a  strong  stone  house, 
encompassed  by  a  .stone  wall  twenty  feet  high  and  one  hun 
dred  and  twenty  paces  round,  built  of  large  square  stones 
very  curious  for  their  softness.  I  cut  my  name  in  it  with  my 
knife.  The  town  consists  of  about  seventy  log  houses,  of 
which  half  are  in  a  row  near  the  river ;  the  other  half  oppo 
site  to  them,  on  the  other  side  of  a  fair,  where  two  streets 
are  divided  by  a  row  of  posts  in  the  midst,  where  each  Indian 
has  his  house  to  lay  his  goods,  and  where  any  of  the  traders 
may  traffic  with  him.  This  is  surely  an  excellent  regulation 
for  preventing  the  traders  from  imposing  on  the  Indians. 
The  chief  officer  in  command  at  the  castle  keeps  a  good  look 
out  to  see  when  the  Indians  come  down  the  lake  with  their 
poultry  and  furs,  and  sends  a  canoe  to  meet  them,  which  con 
ducts  them  to  the  castle,  to  prevent  any  person  enticing  them 
to  put  ashore  privately,  treating  them  with  spirituous  liquors, 
and  then  taking  that  opportunity  of  cheating  them.  Oswego 
is  an  infant  settlement  made  by  the  province  of  New  York, 
with  the  noble  view  of  gaining  to  the  crown  of  Great  Britain 
the  command  of  the  five  lakes ;  and  the  dependence  of  the 
Indians  in  their  neighborhood  to  its  subjects,  for  the  benefit 
of  the  trade  upon  them,  and  of  the  rivers  that  empty  them 
selves  into  them.  At  present  the  whole  navigation  is  carried 
on  by  Indian  bark  canoes  ;  but  a  good  Englishman  cannot  be 
without  hopes  of  seeing  these  great  lakes  one  day  accustomed 
to  English  navigation.  It  is  true,  the  famous  Fall  of  Niagara 
is  an  insurmountable  barrier  to  all  passage  by  water  from  the 
Lake  Ontario  into  the  Lake  Erie.  The  honor  of  first  discov 
ering  these  extensive  fresh-water  seas  is  certainly  due  to  the 
French.  The  traders  from  New  York  come  hither  up  the 
Mohawk  River,  but  generally  go  by  land  from  Albany  to 
Schenectady ;  about  twenty  miles  from  the  Mohawk  the  car- 


378  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTAT.DES. 

riage  is  but  three  miles  to  the  river,  that  falls  into  the  Oneida 
Lake,  which  discharges  itself  into  the  Onondaga  River.  It 
is  evident,  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  that  the  water  of  Lake 
Ontario  has  considerably  diminished." 

It  is  interesting  to  contrast  the  vague  and  timid  conjec 
tures  of  Bartram  with  the  subsequent  facts  in  the  develop 
ment  of  that  intercourse  between  the  lakes,  the  far  interior, 
and  the  seacoast,  whence  dates  so  much  of  the  commercial 
and  agricultural  prosperity  not  only  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  but  of  the  metropolis,  and  the  vast  regions  of  the 
West.  Bartram  observed,  at  Oswego,  "  a  kitchen  garden  and 
a  graveyard  to  the  southwest  of  the  castle,"  which  reminds 
him  that  "  the  neighborhood  of  this  lake  is  esteemed  un- 
healthful."  This  opinion,  however,  refers  only  to  a  large 
swampy  district,  and  not  to  the  elevated  site  of  the  present 
town.  Draining  and  population  have  long  since  redeemed 
even  the  low  lands  from  this  insalubrity  ;  and  now,  in  conse 
quence  of  the  constant  winds  from  that  immense  body  of 
pure  water,  Oswego  enjoys  a  better  degree  of  health  than 
any  place  in  Western  New  York.  Its  summer  climate  is 
preferable  to  that  of  any  inland  city  of  the  State.  Bartram 
notes  many  traits  of  Indian  life  there — the  girls  playing  with 
beans,  and  the  squaws  addicted  to  rum,  and  "  drying  huckle 
berries."  As  usual,  he  expatiates  on  the  trees,  and  especially 
admires  specimens  of  the  arbor  vitse  and  white  lychinus. 
The  last  entry  in  this  quaintly  pleasing  journal  is  characteris 
tic  of  the  writer's  domestic  and  religious  faith,  and  of  the 
adventurous  nature  of  a  tour  which  then  occupied  seven  or 
eight  weeks,  and  is  now  practicable  in  a  few  hours.  Under 
date  of  August  19th,  he  writes:  "Before  sunset  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  my  own  home  and  family,  and  found  them 
in  good  health  ;  and  with  a  sincere  mind  I  returned  thanks  to 
the  Almighty  Power  that  had  preserved  us  all." 

At  an  advanced  age  Bartram  embarked  at  Philadelphia 
for  Charleston,  S.  C.,  and  went  thence,  by  land,  through  a 
portion  of  Carolina  and  Georgia,  to  St.  Augustine,  in  Florida. 
While  there,  he  received  the  appointment  of  botanist  and 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  379 

naturalist  to  the  king  of  England,  with  directions  to  trace 
the  San  Juan  River  to  its  source.  Leaving  St.  Augustine,  he 
embarked  in  a  boat  at  Picolata,  ascended  and  descended  that 
beautiful  river  nearly  four  hundred  miles,  making  careful 
observations  not  only  as  to  distances,  width,  depth,  currents, 
shores,  &c.,  but  recording  all  the  physical  facts,  vegetable 
and  animal.  The  full  and  accurate  report  thereof  he  sent  to 
the  Board  of  Trade  and  Plantations,  in  England.  The  labor 
of  love  this  exploration  proved  to  him,  may  be  imagined 
from  the  enthusiastic  terms  in  which  Florida,  its  coast,  its 
flowers,  and  its  climate,  are  described  by  subsequent  naturalists, 
especially  Audubon  and  Agassiz.  The  latter  thinks  the  com 
bination  of  tropical  and  western  products  and  aspects  there 
unrivalled  in  the  world.  It  is,  indeed,  a  paradise  for  the 
naturalist,  from  its  wonderful  coral  reefs  to  its  obese  turtles, 
and  from  its  orange  groves,  reminding  the  traveller  of  Sicily, 
to  its  palms,  breathing  of  the  East.  When  old  John  Bar- 
tram,  in  his  lonely  boat,  glided  amid  its  fertile  solitudes,  it 
was  a  virgin  soil,  not  only  to  the  step  of  civilization,  but  the 
eye  of  science ;  and  later  and  far  more  erudite  students  of 
nature  have  recognized  the  honest  zeal  and  intelligent  obser 
vation  wherewith  the  venerable  and  assiduous  botanist  of  the 
Schuylkill  recorded  the  winders  and  the  beauty  of  the  scene. 
But  it  was  amid  his  farm  and  flowers  that  Bartram  appeared 
to  memorable  advantage.  His  manners,  habits,  and  appear 
ance,  his  character  and  conversation,  seem  to  have  em 
bodied,  in  a  remarkable  manner,  the  idea  of  a  rural  citizen  of 
America  as  cherished  by  the  republican  enthusiasts  of  Eu 
rope.  The  comfort,  simplicity,  self-respect,  native  resources, 
and  benign  faith  and  feeling  incident  to  a  free  country  life, 
religious  education,  and  a  new  land,  were  signally  manifest  in 
the  home  of  the  Quaker  botanist.  A  Russian  gentleman, 
who  visited  him  in  1769,  describes  these  impressions  in  a  let 
ter.  He  was  attracted  to  Bartram's  house  from  knowTing  him 
as  a  correspondent  of  French  and  Swiss  botanists,  and  even 
of  Queen  Ulrica,  of  Sweden.  Approaching  his  home,  the 
neatness  of  the  buildings,  the  disposition  of  fields,  fences, 


380  AMERICA  AND   HEK  COMMENTATORS. 

and  trees,  the  perfect  order  and  the  prosperous  industry  ap 
parent,  won  the  stranger's  heart  at  a  glance.  Nor  was  he 
less  charmed  with  the  greeting  he  received  from  "  a- woman 
at  the  door,  in  a  simple  but  neat  dress,"  in  answer  to  his  in 
quiry  for  the  master.  "  If  thee  will  step  in  and  take  a  chair, 
I  will  send  for  him."  He  preferred  walking  over  the  farm. 
Following  the  Schuylkill,  as  it  wound  among  the  meadows, 
he  reached  a  place  where  ten  men  were  at  work,  and  asked 
for  Mr.  Bartram ;  whereupon  one  of  the  group,  "  an  elderly 
man,  with  wide  trousers  and  a  large  leather  apron  on,  said, 
"  My  name  is  Bartram  ;  dost  thee  want  me  ?  "  "  Sir,"  .replied 
the  visitor,  "  I  came  on  purpose  to  converse,  if  you  can  be 
spared  from  your  labor."  "  Very  easily,"  he  replied ;  and, 
returning  to  the  house,  the  host  changed  his  clothes,  re 
appeared,  conducted  his  guest  to  the  garden,  and  they  passed 
many  hours  in  a  conversation  so  delectable,  that  the  foreign 
visitor  grows  enthusiastic  in  his  delight  at  this  unique  combi 
nation  of  labor  and  knowledge,  simplicity  of  life  and  study 
of  nature.  One  remark  of  Bartram's  recalls  a  similar  one  of 
Sir  Walter  Scott's,  as  to  the  best  results  of  literary  fame ; 
and  it  is  a  striking  coincidence  in  the  experience  of  two  of 
nature's  noblemen,  so  widely  separated  in  their  pursuits  and 
endowments  :  "  The  greatest  advantage,"  observed  the  rural 
philosopher  to  his  Russian  visitor,  "  which  I  receive  from 
what  thee  callest  my  botanical  fame,  is  the  pleasure  which  it 
often  procures  me  in  receiving  the  visits  of  friends  and  for 
eigners."  Summoned  to  dinner  by  a  bell,  they  entered  a 
large  hall  where  was  spread  a  long  table,  occupied,  at  the 
lower  end,  by  negroes  and  hired  men,  and,  at  the  other,  by 
the  family  and  their  guest.  The  venerable  father  and  his 
wife  "  declined  their  heads  in  prayer  " — which  "  grace  before 
meat,"  says  the  visitor,  was  "  divested  of  the  tedious  cant  of 
some,  and  ostentatious  style  of  others."  Nor  was  he  less 
charmed  with  the  plain  but  substantial  fare,  the  cordial  man 
ners,  the  amenities  of  the  household,  and  the  dignity  of  its 
head.  Madeira  was  produced  ;  an  ^Eolian  harp  vibrated  me 
lodiously  to  the  summer  breeze  ;  and  they  talked  botany  and 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS  AND   WRITERS.  381 

agriculture  to  their  heart's  content.  The  knowledge  of  Bar- 
tram  surprised  his  auditor.  He  found  a  coat  of  arms  amid 
all  this  primitive  life,  and  learned  that  it  was  possible  to  unite 
the  simplicity  of  American  with  the  associations  of  European 
domiciles.  To  him,  the  scene  and  the  character  whence  ema 
nated  its  best  charm,  were  a  refreshing  novelty;  and  he 
endeavors  to  solve  the  mystery  by  frankly  questioning  his 
urbane  host,  whose  story  was  clear  enough.  " '  What  a 
shame,'  said  my  mind,  or  something  that  inspired  my  mind," 
observed  the  latter,  in  explaining  the  first  impulse  to  his 
career,  "  '  that  thou  shouldst  have  employed  so  many  years  in 
tilling  the  earth,  and  destroying  so  many  flowers  and  plants, 
without  being  acquainted  with  their  structure  and  their 
uses.'  By  steady  application,"  he  added,  "  for  several  years, 
I  have  acquired  a  pretty  general  knowledge  of  every  plant 
and  tree  to  be  found  on  this  continent."  But  it  was  the  social 
phenomena  of  Bartram's  house  that  impressed  "  the  stranger 
within  his  gates,"  not  less  than  the  "  pursuit  of  knowledge 
under  difficulties  ; "  the  skilful  method  of  the  farming  opera 
tion  ;  the  deference,  without  servility,  of  the  workmen ;  the 
gentle  bearing  of  the  negroes,  and  the  serene  order  and  dig 
nity,  yet  cheerfulness  of  the  household,  struck  the  habitue 
of  courts  as  a  new  phase  of  civilization.  He  became  enam 
ored  of  the  Friends,  attributing  much  of  what  he  admired  in 
Bartram  and  his  surroundings  to  their  influence.  He  so 
journed  among  them  in  the  vicinity,  attended  their  meetings, 
and,  after  two  months  thus  passed,  declared  "  they  were  the 
golden  days  of  my  riper  years."  Few  and  far  between  are 
such  instances  of  primitive  character  and  association  now 
exhibited  to  the  stranger's  view  in  our  over-busy  and  ex 
travagant  land.  It  is  pleasant  to  look  back  upon  those  days, 
and  that  venerable,  industrious,  benign  philosopher ;  to  re 
member  his  pleasant  letters  to  and  from  Franklin,  Bard, 
Logan,  Catesby,  and  Golden  at  home,  and  Gronovius,  Sir 
Hans  Sloane,  Collinson,  and  Fothergill  abroad ;  the  medal 
he  received  from  "a  society  of  gentlemen  in  Edinburgh;" 
the  seeds  he  sent  Michaux  and  Jefferson  ;  the  books  sent  him 


AMEKICA  AND  HEK   COMMENTATOBS. 

by  Linnaeus.  It  is  pleasant  to  retrace  that  peaceful  and  wise 
career  to  its  painless  and  cheerful  close — the  career  of  one 
whose  great  ambition  was  the  hope,  as  he  said,  "  of  discover 
ing  and  introducing  into  my  native  country  some  original 
productions  of  nature  which  might  be  useful  to  society;" 
and  who  could  honestly  declare,  "  My  chief  happiness  con 
sisted  in  tracing  and  admiring  the  infinite  power,  majesty, 
and  perfection  of  the  great  Almighty  Creator."  Philosopher 
as  he  was,  he  never  coveted  old  age ;  dreaded  to  become  a 
burden ;  hoped  "  there  would  be  little  delay  when  death 
comes;"  and  deemed  the  great  rule  of  life  "to  do  justice, 
love  mercy,  and  walk  humbly  before  God."  Cheerful  and 
active  to  the  age  of  seventy-eight,  he  died  content,  Septem 
ber  22,  1777.  His  name  stands  next  to  Franklin's  in  the 
record  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society.  The  war  of 
the  Revolution  shortened  his  days ;  as  the  approach  of  the 
royal  army,  'after  the  battle  of  Brandy  wine,  agitated  him 
with  fear  that  his  "  darling  garden,"  the  "  nursling  of  half  a 
century,"  might  be  laid  waste. 

Bartram  was  a  genuine  Christian  philosopher.  His  health 
ful  longevity  was  mainly  owing  to  his  temperance  and  out-of- 
door  life,  the  tranquil  pleasures  he  cultivated,  and  the  even 
temper  he  maintained.  Hospitable,  industrious,  and  active, 
both  in  body  and  mind,  he  never  found  any  time  he  could  not 
profitably  employ.  Upright  in  form,  animation  and  sensibil 
ity  marked  his  features.  He  was  "  incapable  of  dissimula 
tion,"  and  deemed  "  improving  conversation  and  bodily  exer 
cise  "  the  best  pastimes.  Meditative,  a  reader  of  Scripture, 
he  was  born  a  Quaker,  but  his  creed 'was  engraved  by  his 
own  hand  over  the  window  of  his  study — a  simple  but  fer 
vent  recognition  of  God. 

It  is  as  delightful  as  it  is  rare  to  behold  the  best  tastes 
and  influence  of  a  man  reproduced  and  prolonged  in  his  de 
scendants  ;  and  this  exceptional  trait  of  American  life  we 
find  in  the  career  and  character  of  John  Bartram's  son 
William,  who  was  born  at  the  Botanic  Garden,  Kingsessing, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1739,  and  died  in  1823.  One  of  his  early 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  383 

tutors  was  Charles  Thomson,  so  prominent  in  the  Continental 
Congress.  He  began  life  as  a  merchant,  but  was  formed,  by 
nature,  for  the  naturalist  and  traveller  he  became.  A  letter 
from  John  Bartram  to  his  brother,  dated  in  1761,  alludes  to 
this  son  as  if  his  success  in  business  was  doubtful :  "  I  and 
most  of  my  son  Billy's  relations  are  concerned  that  he  never 
writes  how  his  trade  affairs  succeed.  We  are  afraid  he  doth 
not  make  out  as  well  as  he  expected."  Having  accompanied 
his  father  in  the  expedition  to  East  Florida,  he  settled  on  the 
banks  of  the  St.  John  River,  after  assisting  in  the  explora 
tion  of  that  region.  In  1774  he  returned  to  his  home  in 
Pennsylvania ;  and  soon  after,  at  the  instance  of  Dr.  Fother- 
gill,  of  London,  made  a  second  scientific  tour  through  Flor 
ida.  His  observations  on  the  Creek  and  Cherokee  Indians 
there  made  were  written  out  in  1789,  and  have  been  recently 
reprinted  from  the  original  manuscript,  by  the  American  Eth 
nological  Society.  He  aided  Wilson  in  his  ornithological 
investigations,  and  Barton  in  his  "  Elements  of  Botany,"  of 
which  science  he  was  elected  professor  by  the  university  of 
his  native  State.  Dunlap  the  painter,  and  Brockden  Brown 
the  novelist,  refer  to  him  with  interest ;  and  the  former  has 
left  a  personal  description  of  him,  as  he  appeared  when  vis 
ited  by  the  writer,  whereby  we  recognize  the  identical  sim 
plicity  of  life,  brightness  of  mind,  industry,  kindliness,  and 
love  of  nature  which  distinguished  his  father.  "  His  counte 
nance,"  says  Dunlap,  "  was  expressive  of  benignity  and  hap 
piness.  With  a  rake  in  his  hand,  he  was  breaking  the  clods 
of  earth  in  a  tulip  bed.  His  hat  was  old,  and  flapped  over 
his  face.  His  coarse  shirt  was  seen  near  his  neck,  as  he  wore 
no  cravat.  His  waistcoat  and  breeches  were  both  of  leather, 
and  his  shoes  were  tied  with  leather  strings.  We  approached 
and  accosted  him.  He  ceased  his  work,  and  entered  into  con 
versation  with  the  ease  and  politeness  of  nature's  nobleman." 
A  similar  impression  was  made  upon  another  visitor  in  1819, 
who  informs  us  that  the  white  hair  of  William  Bartram,  as 
he  stood  in  his  garden  and  talked  of  Rittenhouse  and  Frank 
lin,  of  botany  and  of  nature,  gave  him  a  venerable  look, 


384:  AMERICA  AND  HER  COMMENTATORS. 

which  was  in  keeping  with  his  old-fashioned  dress,  his  genial 
manners,  and  his  candid  and  wise  talk.  He  was  elected  pro 
fessor  of  botany  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1782, 
and  "  made  known  and  illustrated  many  of  the  most  curious 
and  beautiful  plants  of  North  America,"  as  well  as  published 
the  most  complete  list  of  its  birds,  before  Wilson.  "  The 
latest  book  I  know,"  wrote  Coleridge,  "  written  in  the  spirit 
of  the  old  travellers,  is  Bartram's  account  of  his  tour  in  the 
Floridas."  It  was  published  in  Philadelphia  in  1791,  and  in 
London  the  following  year.*  The  style  is  more  finished  than 
his  father  could  command,  more  fluent  and  glowing,  but 
equally  informed  with  that  genuineness  of  feeling  and  direct 
ness  of  purpose  which  give  the  most  crude  writing  an  inde 
finable  but  actual  moral  charm.  The  American  edition  was 
"  embellished  with  copperplates,"  the  accuracy  and  beauty 
of  which,  however  inferior  to  more  recent  illustrations  of 
natural  history  among  us,  form  a  remarkable  contrast  to  the 
coarse  paper  and  inelegant  type.  These  incongruities,  how 
ever,  add  to  the  quaint  charm  of  the  work,  by  reminding  us 
of  the  time  when  it  appeared,  and  of  the  limited  means  and 
encouragement  then  available  to  the  naturalist,  compared  to 
the  sumptuous  expositions  which  the  splendid  volumes  of 
Audubon  and  Agassiz  have  since  made  familiar.  In  the  de 
tails  as  well  as  in  the  philosophy  of  his  subject,  Bartram  is 
eloquent.  He  describes  the  "  hollow  leaves  that  hold  water," 
and  how  "  seeds-  are  carried  and  softened  in  birds'  stomachs." 
He  has  a  sympathy  for  the  "  cub  bereaved  of  its  bear 
mother ; "  patiently  watches  an  enormous  yellow  spider  cap 
ture  a  humblebee,  and  describes  the  process  minutely.  The 
moonlight  on  the  palms ;  the  notes  of  the  mockingbird  in 
the  luxuriant  but  lonely  woods ;  the  flitting  oriole  and  the 


*  "  Travels  through  North  and  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  East  and  West 
Florida,  the  Cherokee  Country,  the  extensive  Territories  of  the  Muscogulges, 
or  Creek  Confederacy,  and  the  Country  of  the  Choctaws ;  containing  an  Ac 
count  of  the  Soil  and  Natural  Productions  of  those  Regions,  together  with 
Observations  on  the  Manners  of  the  Indians,"  embellished  with  copperplates 
(turtle,  leaf,  &c.),  by  William  Bartram,  Philadelphia,  1791,  London,  1792. 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS    AND   WRITERS.  385 

cooing  doves ;  the  mullet  in  the  crystal  brine,  and  the  moan 
of  the  surf  at  night ;  the  laurel's  glossy  leaves,  the  canes  of 
the  brake,  the  sand  of  the  beach,  goldfish,  sharks,  lagoons, 
parroquets,  the  cypress,  ash,  and  hickory,  Indian  mounds, 
buffalo  licks,  trading  houses,  alligators,  mosquitos,  squirrels, 
bullfrogs,  trout,  mineral  waters,  turtles,  birds  of  passage, 
pelicans,  and  aquatic  plants,  are  the  themes  of  his  narrative ; 
and  become,  in  his  fresh  and  sympathetic  description,  vivid 
and  interesting  even  to  readers  who  have  no  special  knowl 
edge  of,  and  only  a  vague  curiosity  about  nature.  The  afflu 
ence  and  variety  in  the  region  described,  are  at  once  apparent. 
Now  and  then,  something  like  an  adventure,  or  a  pleasant 
talk  with  one  of  his  hospitable  or  philosophical  hosts,  varies 
the  botanical  nomenclature  ;  or  a  fervid  outbreak  of  feeling, 
devotional  or  enjoyable,  gives  a  human  zest  to  the  pictures  of 
wild  fertility.  Curiously  do  touches  of  pedantry  alternate 
with  those  of  simplicity ;  the  matter-of-fact  tone  of  Robin 
son  Crusoe,  and  the  grave  didactics  of  Rasselas ;  a  scientific 
statement  after  the  manner  of  Humboldt,  and  an  anecdote  or 
interview  in  the  style  of  Boswell.  It  is  this  very  absence  of 
sustained  and  prevalence  of  desultory  narrative,  that  make 
the  whole  so  real  and  pleasant.  The  Florida  of  that  day  had 
its  trading  posts,  surveyors,  hunters,  Indian  emigrants,  and 
isolated  plantations,  such  as  still  mark  our  border  settlements ; 
but  nowhere  on  the  continent  did  nature  offer  a  more  "  infi 
nite  variety ; "  and  the  mere  catalogue  of  her  products,  espe 
cially  when  written  with  zest  and  knowledge,  formed  an 
interesting  work,  such  as  intelligent  readers  at  home  and 
abroad  relished  with  the  same  avidity  with  which  we  greet 
the  record  of  travel  given  to  the  world  by  a  Layard  or  a 
Kane,  only  that  the  restricted  intercourse  and  limited  educa 
tion  of  that  day  circumscribed  the  readers  as  they  did  the 
authors. 

In    1825    was  published,   from  the  original   manuscript, 
"  The  Private  Journal  kept  by  Madame  Knight ;  or,  A  Jour 
ney  from  Boston  to  New  York  in  the  year  1704."     This  lady 
was  regarded  as  a  superior  person  in  character  and  culture. 
17 


386  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

She  indulged  in  rhyme,  and  had  a  vein  of  romance,  as  is  evi 
dent  from  her  descriptions  of  nature,  especially  of  the  effect 
of  moonlight,  and  the  aspect  of  the  forest  at  night.  This 
curious  specimen  of  a  private  diary  gives  us  a  vivid  and  au 
thentic  description  of  the  state  of  the  country,  and  the  risks 
and  obstacles  of  travel  in  a  region  now  as  populous,  secure, 
and  easy  of  access  and  transit  as  any  part  of  the  world.  A 
fortnight  was  then  occupied  in  a  journey  which  is  now  per 
formed  several  times  a  day  in  seven  or  eight  hours.  It  seems 
that  the  fair  Bostonian,  even  at  that  remote  period,  tinctured 
with  the  literary  proclivities  that  signalize  the  ladies  of  her 
native  city  to  this  day,  had  certain  business  requiring  atten 
tion  at  New  Haven  and  New  York,  and,  after  much  hesita 
tion,  formed  the  heroic  resolution  of  visiting  those  places  in 
person.  The  journey  was  made  on'  horseback.  She  took  a 
guide  from  one  baiting  place  to  another,  and  was  indebted  to 
the  "  minister  of  the  town,"  to  the  "  post,"  and  relatives 
along  the  route,  for  hospitality  and  escort.  She  often  passed 
the  night  in  miserable  inns — if  such  they  can  be  called — and 
was  the  constant  victim  of  hard  beds,  indigestible  or  unsa 
vory  food,  danger  from  fording  streams,  isolated  and  rough 
tracks,  and  all  the  alarms  and  embarrassments  of  an  "  unpro 
tected  female  "  crossing  a  partially  settled  country.  Narra- 
ganset  was  a  pathless  wild.  At  New  Haven  she  notes  the 
number  and  mischievousness  of  the  Indians,  and  that  the 
young  men  wore  ribbons,  as  a  badge  of  dexterity  in  shooting. 
She  satirizes  the  phraseology  of  the  people  there,  such  as 
"  Dreadful  pretty  !  "  "  Law,  you !  "  and  "  I  vow !  "  and  criti 
cizes  the  social  manners  as  faulty  in  two  respects — too  great 
familiarity  with  the  slaves,  and  a  dangerous  facility  of  di 
vorce  ;  yet,  she  remarks,  though  often  ridiculous,  the  people 
"  have  a  large  portion  of  mother  wit,  and  sometimes  larger 
than  those  brought  up  in  cities."  Pumpkin  and  Indian  bread, 
pork  and  cabbage,  are  the  staple  articles  of  food,  varied,  at 
"  Northwalk,"  by  fried  venison.  Of  Fairfield  she  says : 
"They  have  abundance  of  sheep,  whose  very  dung  brings 
them  great  gain,  with  part  of  which  they  pay  their  parson's 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS   AND    WRITERS.  387 

salleiy ;  and  they  grudge  that,  preferring  their  dung  before 
their  minister."  She  is  charmed  with  the  "  vendues"  at  New 
York,  where  they  "  give  drinks ; "  and  mentions  that  the 
"  fireplaces  have  no  jambs  ; "  and  "  the  bricks  in  some  of  the 
houses  are  of  divers  colors,  and  laid  in  checkers,  and,  being 
glazed,  look  very  agreeable."  "  Their  diversions,"  she  says 
of  the  inhabitants,  "  is  riding  in  sleys  about  three  or  four 
miles  out  of  town,  where  they  have  houses  of  entertainment 
at  a  place  called  the  Bowery." 

Nor,  among  the  early  explorers  of  New  England,  can  we 
fail  to  remember  the  intrepid  John  Ledyard,  Captain  Cook's 
companion  and  historiographer,  and  one  of  the  bravest  pio 
neers  of  African  travel.  Born  in  1751,  he  ran  away  from  the 
frontier  college  of  Hanover,  and  fraternized  with  the  abo 
riginal  Six  Nations  in  Canada.  Returning  to  his  native 
region,  he  cut  down  a  tree,  and  made  a  canoe  three  feet  wide 
and  fifty  long,  wherein,  with  bear  skins  and  provisions,  he 
floated  down  the  Connecticut  River,  stopping  at  night,  and 
reading,  at  intervals,  Ovid  and  the  Greek  Testament.  Inter 
rupted  in  his  lonely  voyage  by  Bellows'  Falls,  he  effected  a 
portage  through  the  aid  of  farmers  and  oxen,  and,  continuing 
his  course,  reached  Hartford.  This  exploration  of  a  river 
then  winding  through  the  wilderness,  was  inspired  by  the 
identical  love  of  adventure  and  thirst  for  discovery  which 
afterward  lured  him  to  the  North  of  Europe,  around  the 
world  with  Cook,  and  into  the  deserts  of  Africa. 

Captain  John  Carver  traversed  an  extent  of  country  of  at 
least  seven  thousand  miles,  in  two  years  and  a  half,  at  a  period 
when  such  a  pilgrimage  required  no  little  courage  and  pa 
tience.  He  was  induced  to  undertake  this  long  tour  partly 
from  a  love  of  adventure,  and,  in  no  small  degree,  from  pub 
lic  spirit  and  the  desire  to  gain  and  impart  useful  informa 
tion.  Carver  was  to  be  seen  at  the  reunions  of  Sir  Joseph 
Banks,  where  his  acquaintance  with  the  natural  productions 
of  this  continent  made  him  a  welcome  guest ;  and  his  strait 
ened  circumstances  won  the  sympathy  of  that  benign  savant, 
who  promoted  the  sale  of  his  "  Travels,"  which  were  pub- 


388  AMERICA   AND   HEK   COMMENTATORS. 

lished  in  London,*  and  passed  through  three  editions.  This 
work  contains  many  facts  of  interest  to  economists  and  sci 
entific  men  not  then  generally  known.  The  narrative  refers 
to  the  years  1766,  '67,  and  '68.  Carver  also  published  a 
"  Treatise  on  the  Culture  of  Tobacco."  The  region  of  coun 
try  described  by  this  writer  was  then  attracting  great  inquiry 
on  account  of  the  prevalent  theories  regarding  a  Northwest 
Passage.  Carver  went  from  Boston  to  Green  Bay  via  Albany, 
and  explored  the  Indian  country  as  far  as  the  Falls  of  St. 
Anthony ;  following,  in  a  great  degree,  the  course  of  Father 
Hennepin  in  1680.  He  has  much  to  say  of  the  aborigines, 
their  ceremonies,  character  and  vocabulary,  of  the  phe 
nomena  of  the  great  lakes,  and  of  the  birds,  fishes,  trees,  and 
reptiles ;  although,  as  a  reporter  of  natural  history,  some  of 
his  snake  stories  excited  distrust.  Carver's  enterprise,  intel 
ligence,  and  misfortunes,  however,  commend  him  to  favor 
able  remembrance.  He  was  born  at  Stillwater,  Connecticut, 
and  was  a  captain  in  the  French  war.  Dr.  Lettsom  wrote  an 
interesting  memoir  of  him,  which  was  appended  to  the 
posthumous  edition  of  his  writings ;  and  it  is  a  memorable 
fact,  that  the  penury  in  which  this  brave  seeker  after  knowl 
edge  died,  as  described  by  his  biographer,  in  connection  with 
his  unrecognized  claims  as  an  employe  of  the  English  Gov 
ernment,  induced  the  establishment  of  that  noble  charity,  the 
Literary  Fund. 

One  of  the  French  legation  in  the  United  States,  in  1781, 
requested  Jefferson  to  afford  him  specific  information  in  re 
gard  to  the  physical  resources  and  character  of  the  country. 
This  course  is  habitual  with  the  representatives  of  European 
Governments,  and  has  proved  of  great  advantage  in  a  com 
mercial  point  of  view  ;  while  political  economists  and  histori 
cal  writers  have  found  in  the  archives  of  diplomacy  invalu 
able  materials  thus  secured.  M.  Marbois  could  not  have 
applied  to  a  better  man  for  certain  local  facts  interesting  and 

*  "  Travels  through  the  Interior  Parts  of  North  America,  in  1766-'6S," 
by  John  Carver,  Captain  of  a  Company  of  Provincial  Troops  in  the  late 
French  War,  8vo.,  third  edition,  portrait,  maps,  and  plates,  London,  1781. 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  389 

useful  in  themselves,  and  as  yet  but  partially  recorded,  than 
Thomas  Jefferson,  who  was  a  good  observer  of  nature,  as 
far  as  details  are  concerned,  and  accurate  in  matters  where 
taste  and  opinion  were  not  essential.  His  love  of  such  inqui 
ries  had  led  him  to  record  whatever  statistical  knowledge  or 
curious  phenomena  came  under  his  observation.  As  a  planter, 
he  had  ample  opportunity  to  observe  the  laws  of  nature,  the 
methods  of  culture,  and  the  means  of  progress  open  to  a  cir 
cumspect  agriculturist.  He  had  read  much  in  natural  history, 
and  was  fond  of  scientific  conversation  ;  so  that,  with  the 
books  then  at  command,  and  the  truths  then  recognized  in 
these  spheres,  he  was  in  advance  of  most  of  his  countrymen. 
The  inquiries  of  Marbois  induced  him  to  elaborate  and 
arrange  the  data  he  had  collected,  and  two  hundred  copies  of 
the  work  were  privately  printed,  under  the  title  of  "  Notes 
on  Virginia,"  *  a  bad  translation  of  which  was  soon  after 
published  in  Paris.  The  reader  of  Jefferson's  collected 
writings,  whose  taste  has  been  formed  by  the  later  models 
of  his  vernacular  authors,  will  not  be  much  impressed  with 
his  literary  talents  or  culture.  In  eloquence  and  argumenta 
tive  power  he  was  far  inferior  to  Hamilton.  His  memoir  of 
himself  has  little  of  the  frank  simplicity  and  naive  attraction 
that  have  made  Franklin's  Life  a  household  book  ;  while  the 
fame  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  wholly  eclipses  any 
renown  derived  from  the  wisdom  and  occasional  vivacity  of 
his  correspondence,  or  the  curious  knowledge  displayed  in  his 
"  Notes  "  on  his  native  State.  The  eminence  of  the  writer  in 
political  history  and  official  distinction,  the  extraordinary  cir 
cumstances  amid  which  he  lived  and  acted,  the  part  he  took 
in  a  great  social  and  civic  experiment,  his  representative 
character  in  the  world  of  opinion,  the  coincidence  of  his 
death  with  the  anniversary  of  the  most  illustrious  deed  of  his 
life,  and  with  the  demise  of  his  predecessor  in  the  Presidential 
office  and  political  opponent,  all  throw  a  peculiar  interest  and 
impart  a  personal  significance  to  what  his  pen  recorded ;  so 

*  "  Notes  on  the  State  of  Virginia,"  8vo.,  map,  London,  1787. 


390  AMERICA   AND    HER    COMMENTATORS. 

that,  although  there  is  comparatively  little  of  original  scien 
tific  value  in  his  "  Notes  on  Virginia,"  they  are  a  pleasing 
memorial  of  his  assiduous  observation,  and  are  characteristic 
of  his  turn  of  mind  and  habits  of  thought.  It  has  been 
justly  said  of  the  work,  that  "  politics,  commerce,  and  manu 
factures  are  here  treated  of  in  a  satisfactory  and  instructive 
manner,  but  with  rather  too  much  the  air  of  philosophy." 
The  description  of  the  Natural  Bridge,  and  of  the  scenery  of 
Harper's  Ferry  and  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  as  well  as  of 
other  remarkable  natural  facts,  drew  many  strangers  to  Vir 
ginia  ;  and  the  "  Notes  "  are  often  quoted  by  travellers,  agri 
culturists,  and  philosophers. 

Captain  Imlay,  of  the  American  army,  is  considered  the 
best  of  the  early  authorities  in  regard  to  the  topography  of 
the  Western  country.  The  original  London  edition  of  his 
"Topographical  Description  of  the  Western  Territory  of 
North  America,"  *  is  the  result  of  observations  made  be 
tween  1792  and  1797.  The  third  edition  is  much  enhanced 
in  value  as  a  reference,  by  including  the  works  of  Filson, 
Hutchins,  and  other  kindred  material.  In  1793,  this  author 
embodied  another  and  most  interesting  phase  of  his  experi 
ence  in  that  then  but  partially  known  region,  in  a  novel  called 
"  The  Emigrants,"  which  contains  genuine  pictures  of  life. 

The  "Travels  in  New  England  and  New  York"f  of 
Timothy  D wight  are  probably  as  little  read  by  the  present 
generation  as  his  poetry ;  and  yet  both,  fifty  or  sixty  years 
ago,  exerted  a  salutary  influence,  and  are  still  indicative  of 
the  benign  intellectual  activity  of  a  studious,  religious,  and 
patriotic  man,  whose  name  is  honorably  associated  with  early 
American  literature,  as  well  as  with  the  educational  progress 

*  "  Topographical  Description  of  the  Western  Territory  of  North  Amer 
ica,"  by  Gilbert  Imlay,  second  edition,  with  large  additions,  8vo.,  with  correct 
maps  of  the  Western  Territories,  1793.  Comprises  a  valuable  mass  of  mate 
rials  for  the  early  history  of  the  Western  country,  embodying  the  entire  works 
of  Filson,  Hutchins,  and  various  other  tracts  and  original  narratives. 

•j-  "  Travels  in  New  England  and  New  York,"  by  Timothy  Dwight,  illus 
trated  with  maps  and  plates,  4  thick  vols.,  8vo.,  1823. 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  391 

and  theological  history  of  New  England.  A  descendant  of 
Jonathan  Edwards,  a  chaplain  in  the  army  of  the  Revolution, 
a  member  of  the  Connecticut  Legislature,  farmer,  clergy 
man,  scholar,  patriot,  and  bard,  whether  giving  religious 
sanction  to  his  brave  countrymen  in  their  struggle  for  free 
dom,  toiling  for  the  support  of  his  family,  teaching,  rhyming, 
talking,  or  rilling,  with  assiduous  fidelity,  the  office  of  Presi 
dent  of  Yale  College,  Dwight  was  one  of  the  most  useful, 
consistent,  and  respected  men  of  letters  of  his  day  in  Amer 
ica.  Idolized  by  his  pupils,  admired  by  his  fellow  citizens, 
and  the  favorite  companion  of  Trumbull,  Barlow,  and  the 
elder  Buckrninster,  his  simple  style  of  life  harmonized  nobly 
with  his  urbane  self-respect,  intellectual  tastes,  and  public 
spirit.  His  revision  of  the  Psalms  of  Watts  was  a  service 
practically  recognized  by  all  sects.  The  conscientiousness 
which  formed  the  basis  of  his  character,  not  less  than  the 
exigencies  of  his  life,  promoted  habits  of  versatile  and  in 
domitable  industry.  In  youth,  his  ardent  nature  found  vent 
in  verse,  much  of  which,  especially  some  heroic  couplets,  have 
the  ring  and  emphasis  of  a  muse  enamored  of  nature  and 
fired  with  patriotism.  His  vacations,  while  President  of 
Yale,  were  devoted  to  travel,  not  in  the  casual  manner  so 
usual  at  the  period,  but  with  a  view  to  explore  carefully  and 
record  faithfully.  It  is  true  that,  compared  to  the  scientific 
tourists  ot  our  day,  Dwight  was  but  imperfectly  equipped 
for  a  complete  and  minute  investigation  of  nature ;  but, 
keenly  observant,  intelligent,  and  honest,  loving  knowledge 
for  its  own  sake,  and  eager  to  diffuse  as  well  as  to  acquire 
practical  information,  we  find  in  this  voluntary  choice  of 
recreation,  at  that  period,  a  signal  evidence  of  his  superior 
mind. 

Many  comparatively  unknown  regions  of  New  England 
and  New  York  Dwight  traversed  on  horseback,  communica 
ting  the  results  of  his  journeys  in  letters,  which  were  not 
given  to  the  public  until  several  years  after  his  death.  We 
know  of  no  better  reference  for  accounts  of  the  prominent 
men  and  the  economical  and  social  traits  of  the  Eastern 


392  AMERICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

States,  at  the  period,  than  may  be  gleaned  from  Dwight's 
Travels.  They  preserve  some  original  features  and  facts 
which  a  locomotive  age  has  since  swept  away.  They  furnish 
an  interesting  picture  of  life  in  New  England  and  New 
York,  when  the  towns  therein  were  scattered  and  lonely,  the 
agricultural  resources  but  partially  developed,  and  the  primi 
tive  tastes  and  customs  yet  dominant.  Although  seldom 
read,  this  early  record  of  travel  over  scenes  so  familiar  and 
unsuggestive  to  us,  will  be  precious  to  the  future  delineator 
of  manners,  and  even  to  the  speculative  economist  and  phi 
losopher.  A  future  Macaulay  would  find  in  them  many  ele 
ments  for  a  picturesque  or  statistical  description  ;  for  in  such 
details,  when  authentic  and  wisely  chosen,  exist  the  materials 
of  history.  Among  the  earliest  modern  accounts,  at  all  elab 
orate,  of  the  White  Mountains,  Lake  George,  Niagara,  and 
the  Catskills,  are  those  gleaned  by  Timothy  Dwight,  in  his 
lonely  wanderings  at  a  time  when,  to  travel  at  all,  was  to 
isolate  oneself,  and  be  inspired  with  an  individual  aim,  and 
the  "  solitary  horseman  "  was  a  significant  fact,  instead  of  a 
resource  of  fiction.  It  was  Dwight's  habit  to  take  copious 
notes  and  accumulate  local  facts,  which  he  afterward  wrote 
out  and  illustrated  at  his  leisure.  His  "  Travels  "  were  first 
published  in  1821.  Their  range  would  now  be  thought  quite 
limited;  but,  in  view  of  the  meagre  facilities  for  moving 
about  then  enjoyed,  and  the  comparative  absence  of  enter 
prise  in  the  way  of  journeys  of  observation,  these  intelli 
gent  comments  and  descriptions  must  have  been  very  useful 
and  entertaining,  as  they  are  now  valuable  and  agreeable. 
Robert  Southey,  whose  literary  taste  was  singularly  catholic, 
and  who  had  labored  enough  in  the  field  of  authorship  to 
duly  estimate  e'verything  that  contributes  to  the  use  or  beauty 
of  the  vocation,  wrote  of  Dwight's  "  Travels,"  in  the  Quar 
terly  Review : 

"  The  work  before  us,  though  the  humblest  in  its  pretences,  is 
the  most  important  of  his  writings,  and  will  derive  additional  value 
from  time,  whatever  may  become  of  his  poems  and  sermons.  A 
wish  to  gratify  those  who,  a  hundred  years  hence,  might  feel  curios- 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  393 

ity  concerning  his  native  country,  made  him  resolve  to  preserve  a 
faithful  description  of  its  existing  state.  He  made  notes,  therefore, 
in  the  summer  vacation  tours,  and  collected  facts  on  the  spot.  The 
remarks  upon  natural  history  are  those  of  an  observant  and  sagacious 
man,  who  makes  no  pretensions  to  science  ;  they  are  more  interest 
ing,  therefore,  than  those  of  a  merely  scientific  traveller." 

Here  we  have  another  striking  illustration  of  the  conser 
vative  worth  of  facts  in  literature  over  the  fruits  of  specula 
tion  or  of  fancy,  unless  the  latter  are  redeemed  by  rare 
originality.  Only  the  most  gifted  poets  and  philosophers 
continue  to  be  read  and  admired  ;  while  the  humblest  gleaner 
among  the  facts  of  life  and  nature,  if  honest  and  assiduous, 
is  remembered  and  referred  to  with  gratitude  and  respect. 

As  Commissioner  of  the  Revenue,  Tench  Coxe,  of  Philadel 
phia,  investigated  and  wrote  upon  several  economical  interests 
of  the  country,  and,  in  1794,  published  his  "  View  of  the  United 
States  of  America,"  in  a  series  of  papers  written  in  1787-'94.* 
There  is  much  statistical  information  in  regard  to  trade  and 
manufactures  during  the  period  indicated.  The  progress  of 
the  country  at  that  time  is  authentically  described,  and  the 
resources  of  Pennsylvania  exhibited.  Two  chapters  of  the 
work  are  curious — one  on  the  "  distilleries  of  the  United 
States,"  and  the  other  giving  "  information  relative  to  maple 
sugar,  and  its  possible  value  in  some  parts  of  the  United 
States."  The  facts  communicated  must  have  been  useful  to 
emigrants  at  that  period ;  and,  in  summing  up  the  condition 
and  prospects  of  the  country,  a  remarkable  increase  of  for 
eign  commerce,  shipbuilding,  and  manufactures,  in  the  ten 
years  succeeding  the  War  of  Independence,  is  shown.  The 
author  congratulates  his  fellow  citizens  that  "  the  importation 
of  slaves  has  ceased;"  that  "no  evils  have  resulted  from  an 
entire  separation  of  church  and  state,  and  of  ecclesiastical 
from  the  civil  power  ;"  that  Europeans  "  have  rather  accom 
modated  themselves  to  the  American  modes  of  life,  than  pur 
sued  or  introduced  those  of  Europe  ; "  that  no  monarchy  over 

*  "  View  of  the  United  States  of  America,"  in  a  series  of  papers  written 
between  1787  and  1794,  by  Tench  Coxe,  Svo.j  Philadelphia  and  London, 
1795. 


394  AMEEICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

"  an  equally  numerous  people  has  been  so  well  able  to  main 
tain  internal  tranquillity;"  and  that  the  "terrifying  reports 
of  danger  from  Indians"  are  unfounded.  The  work  is  a 
valuable  statistical  landmark  of  national  development. 

In  the  year  1810,  a  book  on  America*  by  a  native  author 
excited  much  attention,  partly  from  the  special  facts  it  re 
counted,  and  partly  because  of  a  humorous  vein,  wherein 
European  criticisms  and  travellers'  complaints  were  met  and 
refuted.  The  volume  was  timely,  in  some  respects  quite  able, 
and  often  piquant.  The  literary  artifice  adopted  served  also 
to  win  the  curious.  It  wTas  pretended  that  Inciquin,  a  Jesuit, 
during  a  residence  in  the  United  States,  had  written  numer 
ous  letters  descriptive  of  the  country,  and  in  reply  to  current 
aspersions  by  prejudiced  visitors — a  portion  of  this  corre 
spondence  having  been  discovered  on  a  bookseller's  stall,  at 
Antwerp,  and  the  "packet  of  letters"  being  published  on 
this  side  of  the  water  as  the  work  of  some  unknown  for 
eigner.  A  distinct  account  of  political  parties,  about  which 
great  misapprehensions  then  prevailed  in  Great  Britain,  is 
given ;  numerous  falsehoods  then  prevalent  regarding  the 
social  condition  and  habits  of  the  people  are  exposed ;  and 
the  hypercritical  and  fastidious  objections  propagated  by 
shallow  writers  are  cleverly  ridiculed  ;  while  a  more  kindly 
and  just  estimate  of  American  manners  and  culture  is 
affirmed.  The  idea  of  the  book  was  excellent ;  but  its  exe 
cution  is  not  commensurate  therewith,  being  comparatively 
destitute  of  that  literary  tact  and  graceful  vivacity  essential 
to  the  complete  success  of  such  an  experiment.  It,  however, 
served  a  good  though  temporary  purpose,  more  adequately 
fulfilled  by  Walsh's  "  Appeal."  In  his  account  of  American 
literature,  the  author,  at  that  date,  had  but  a  meagre  cata 
logue  to  illustrate  his  position,  Marshall's  "  Life  of  Washing 
ton  "  and  Barlow's  "  Columbiad "  being  most  prominent. 
Perhaps  the  political  information  w^as  the  most  important 
element  of  the  work;  and  the  intimate  acquaintance  with  our 

*  "  Inciquin  the  Jesuit's  Letters,  during  a  late  Residence  in  the  United 
States  of  America,"  New  York,  1810,  8vo. 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS    AND   WRITERS.  395 

system  of  government,  and  the  appreciation  of  the  social 
condition  of  the  republic  manifest  throughout,  suggest  that, 
with  the  attraction  of  a  more  pleasing  style,  "  Inciquin's  Let 
ters  "  might  have  claimed  and  won  a  more  permanent  inter 
est.  It  soon  became  known  that  they  were  written  by 
Charles  J.  Ingersoll,  of  Philadelphia,  a  political  litterateur 
and  well-known  citizen,  who  has  since  figured  in  public  life, 
and  died  within  a  few  years.  The  London  Quarterly,  with 
characteristic  unfairness,  assailed  the  work,  which  malicious 
criticism  was  promptly  answered  by  Paulding. 

The  calumnies  of  the  English  bookwrights  and  reviewers 
were  ably  confuted  also  by  Irving,  D wight,  and  Everett ;  but 
the  most  efficient  and  elaborate  reply,  at  this  time,  emanated 
from  Robert  Walsh,  whose  industry  in  the  collection  of 
facts,  practice  as  a  writer,  and  familiarity  with  history  and 
literature,  made  him  an  able  champion.  He  had  long  enter 
tained  the  idea  of  a  carefully  prepared  work — historical,  eco 
nomical,  and  critical — on  the  United  States,  and  had  arranged 
part  of  the  materials  therefor.  A  peculiarly  bitter  and  un 
just  article,  ostensibly  a  review  of  "  Inciquin's  Letters," 
induced  Mr.  "Walsh  to  abandon,  for  the  time,  his  intended 
work,  in  favor  of  a  less  elaborate  but  most  seasonable  one. 
He  did  not  attach  undue  importance  to  these  attacks,  but,  like 
all  educated  and  experienced  men,  perceived  that  the  wilful 
misrepresentations  and  vulgar  prejudice  with  which  they 
abounded,  insured  their  ephemeral  reputation,  and  proved 
them  the  work  of  venal  hands ;  yet,  in  common  with  the 
best  of  his  countrymen,  he  recognized,  in  the  popularity  of 
such  shallow  and  often  absurd  tirades,  in  the  demand  as  a 
literary  ware  of  such  aspersions  upon  the  name,  fame,  and 
character  of  the  republic,  a  degree  of  ignorance  and  preju 
dice  in  England,  which  it  became  a  duty  to  leave  without 
excuse,  by  a  clear  and  authentic  statement  of  facts.  Accord 
ingly,  his  "  Appeal  from  the  Judgments  of  Great  Britain  " 

*  "  An  Appeal  from  the  Judgments  of  Great  Britain  respecting  the  Unit 
ed  States,  &c.,  with  Strictures  on  the  Calumnies  of  British  Writers,"  by 
Robert  Walsh,  8vo.,  Philadelphia,  1819. 


396  AMEEICA  AND   HER  COMMENTATORS. 

appeared  in  1819.  Its  political  bias  made  it  somewhat  unac 
ceptable  to  a  portion  of  his  countrymen  ;  and,  with  the  more 
full  exposition  of  our  intellectual  resources  which  the  growth 
of  American  literature  has  subsequently  induced,  it  is  obvi 
ous  that  he  might  have  made  the  argument  in  this  regard 
more  copious.  But,  as  a  whole,  it  was  admirably  done. 
Much  of  the  testimony  adduced  is  English ;  and  the  chapters 
on  the  British  maladministration  of  the  colonies,  on  the  hos 
tility  of  the  British  Reviews,  and  on  slavery,  are  of  present 
significance  and  permanent  interest.  It  was  a  timely  vindica 
tion  of  our  country,  and  so  absolutely  fixed  the  lie  of  malice 
upon  many  of  the  flippant  writers  in  question,  and  the  bigotry 
of  prejudice  upon  their  acquiescent  readers,  that  an  obvious 
improvement  was  soon  apparent,  especially  in  the  Reviews — 
more  care  as  to  correctness  in  data,  and  less  arrogance  in 
tone.  The  work  is  a  landmark  to  which  we  can  now  refer 
with  advantage,  to  estimate  the  degree  and  kind  of  progress 
attained  by  the  United  States  at  the  period  ;  and  it  serves  no 
less  effectually  as  a  memorial  of  the  literary,  political,  and 
social  injustice  of  England. 

In  addition  to  Irving,  Ingersoll,  Walsh,  Everett,  and 
Cooper,  many  of  our  citizens  have  "  come  to  the  rescue " 
abroad,  in  less  memorable  but  riot  less  seasonable  and  efficient 
ways.  Through  the  journals  of  Europe,  many  a  mistake  has 
been  corrected,  many  a  prejudice  dispelled,  and  many  a  right 
vindicated  by  public-spirited  and  intelligent  citizens  of  the 
republic.  In  Blackwoo&s  Magazine,  1823-'6,  for  instance, 
are  several  articles  on  American  writers  and  subjects,  wherein, 
with  much  critical  nonchalance  and  broad  assertion,  there  are 
many  facts  and  statements  fitted  to  enlighten  and  interest  in 
regard  to  this  country.  They  were  written  by  John  Neal,  of 
Portland,  whose  dramatic  but  extravagant  and  rapidly  con 
cocted  novels  and  poems,  by  their  spirit  and  native  flavor,  had 
won  their  author  fame,  and  gained  him  literary  employment 
abroad ;  where  he  became  a  disciple  of  Bentham,  and  aspired, 
despite  strong  personal  likes  and  dislikes,  to  be  an  impartial 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  397 

raconteur  and  reporter  of  his  country,  in  a  British  periodical 
of  wide  circulation  and  influence. 

No  Southern  State  has  been  so  fully  described  by  early 
and  later  writers,  as  Virginia.  As  the  home  of  Washing 
ton  and  Jefferson,  it  attracted  visitors  when  the  journey 
thither  from  the  East  was  far  from  easy  or  convenient. 
The  partially  aristocratic  origin  of  the  first  settlers  gave 
a  distinctive  and  superior  social  tone  to  the  region.  Hunt 
ing,  political  speculation,  convivial  courtesies,  and  the  Epis 
copal  Church,  were  local  features  whereby  the  life  of  the 
Virginia  planter  assimilated  with  that  of  English  manorial 
habits  and  prestige.  Moreover,  a  certain  hue  of  romance 
invests  the  early  history  of  the  State,  associated  as  it  is  with 
the  gallantry  and  culture  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  and  the  self- 
devotion  of  Pocahontas.  The  very  name  of  "  Old  Domin 
ion  "  endeared  Virginia  to  many  more  than  her  own  children ; 
and  that  other  title  of  "  Mother  of  Presidents  "  indicates  her 
prominence  in  our  republican  annals.  Novelists  have  de 
lighted  to  lay  their  scenes  within  her  borders — to  describe 
the  shores  of  the  Rappahannock,  the  ancient  precincts  of 
Jamestown,  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  the 
picturesque  attractions  of  the  Blue  Ridge ;  as  well  as  to 
elaborate  the  traits  of  character  and  the  phases  of  social  life 
fondly  and  proudly  ascribed  to  the  country.  Lovers  of 
humor  find  an  unique  comic  side  to  the  nature  of  the  Vir 
ginia  negro  —  one  of  whose  popular  melodies  plaintively 
evinces  the  peculiar  attachment  which  bound  the  domestic 
slave  to  the  soil  and  family ;  while  the  countless  anecdotes 
of  John  Randolph,  and  other  eccentric  country  gentlemen, 
indicate  that  the  independent  and  provincial  life  of  the 
planter  there  was  remarkably  productive  of  original  and 
quaint  characteristics.  Naturalists  expatiated  on  the  wonders 
of  the  Natural  Bridge ;  valetudinarians  flocked  to  the  Sulphur 
Springs  ;  and  lovers  of  humanity  made  pilgrimages  to  Mount 
Vernon.  'There  Washington,  a  young  surveyor,  became 
familiar  with  toil,  exposure,  and  responsibility,  and  passed 
the  crowning  years  of  his  spotless  career ;  there  he  was  born, 


398  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

died,  and  is  buried  ;  there  Patrick  Henry  roamed  and  mused, 
until  the  hour  struck  for  him  to  rouse,  with  invincible  elo 
quence,  the  instinct  of  free  citizenship ;  there  Marshall  drilled 
his  yeomen  for  battle,  and  disciplined  his  judicial  mind  by 
study;  there  Jefferson  wrote  his  "Political  Philosophy"  and 
"  Notes  of  a  Naturalist ; "  there  Burr  was  tried,  Clay  was 
born,  Wirt  pleaded,  Nat  Turner  instigated  the  Southampton 
massacre,  Lord  Fairfax  hunted,  and  John  Brown  was  hung, 
Randolph  bitterly  jested,  and  Pocahontas  won  a  holy  fame  ; 
and  there  treason  reared  its  hydra  head,  and  profaned  the 
consecrated  soil  with  vulgar  insults  and  savage  cruelty ;  there 
was  the  last  battle  scene  of  the  Revolution,  and  the  first  of 
the  Civil  War ;  there  is  Mount  Vernon,  Monticello,  and 
Yorktown ;  and  there,  also,  are  Manassas,  Bull  Run,  and 
Fredericksburg ;  there  is  the  old  graveyard  of  Jamestown, 
and  the  modern  Golgotha  of  Fair  Oaks  ;  there  is  the  noblest 
tribute  art  has  reared  to  Washington,  and  the  most  loath 
some  prisons  wherein  despotism  wreaked  vengeance  on 
patriotism ;  and  on  that  soil  countless  martyrs  have  offered 
up  their  lives  to  conserve  the  national  existence. 

What  Wirt,  Kennedy,  Irving,  the  author  of  "  Cousin 
Veronica,"  and  others,  have  written  of  rural  and  social  life 
in  Virginia,  from  the  genial  sports  of  "  Swallow  Barn "  to 
the  hunting  frolics  at  Greenway  Court — what  Virginia  was 
in  the  days  of  Henry  and  Marshall,  she  essentially  appeared 
to  Chastellux  and  to  Paulding.  It  is  nearly  fifty  years  since 
the  latter' s  "  Letters  from  the  South  "  *  were  written  ;  and, 
glancing  over  them  to-day,  what  confirmation  do  recent 
events  yield  to  many  of  his  observations !  This  is  one  of 
the  unconscious  advantages  derived  from  faithful  personal 
insight  and  records.  However  familiar  the  scene  and  obso 
lete  the  book,  as  such,  therein  may  be  found  the  material  for 
political  inference  or  authentic  speculation.  "  It  seems  the 
destiny  of  this  country,"  writes  Paulding  from  Virginia,  in 
1816,  "that  power  should  travel  to  the  West;"  and  again, 
"  the  blacks  diminish  in  number  as  you  travel  toward  the 
*  "  Letters  from  the  South,"  by  a  Northern  Man. 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  399 

mountains  ; "  and  elsewhere,  "  I  know  not  whether  you  have 
observed  it,  but  all  the  considerable  States  south  of  New 
York  have  their  little  distrusts  and  separate  local  interests,  or 
rather  local  feelings,  operating  most  vehemently.  The  east 
and  west  section  of  the  State  are  continually  at  sixes  and 
sevens.  The  mountains  called  the  Blue  Ridge  not  only  form 
the  natural,  but  the  political  division  of  Virginia."  Recent 
events  have  confirmed  emphatically  the  truth  of  this  observa 
tion  ;  and  what  Paulding  says  of  the  people,  agrees  with 
previous  and  subsequent  testimony — "  gallant,  high-spirited, 
lofty,  lazy  sort  of  beings,  much  more  likely  to  spend  money 
than  to  earn  it."  We  have  noted  the  evidence  of  earlier 
travellers  as  to  the  decadence  of  slavery  in  Virginia,  before 
the  invention  of  the  cotton-gin  made  the  institution  profit 
able  ;  and  our  own  countryman,  writing  nearly  fifty  years 
ago,  quotes  the  remark  of  a  farmer's  daughter :  "  I  want 
father  to  buy  a  black  woman ;  but  he  says  they  are  more 
trouble  than  they  are  worth."  Even  at  that  period,  the 
primitive  methods  of  travel  continued  through  the  Southern 
country  much  as  they  are  described  by  the  French  officers 
who  made  visits  to  the  South  immediately  after  or  during 
the  Revolutionary  Avar.  "  Travellers'  Rests,"  says  Paulding, 
"  are  common  in  this  part  of  the  world,  where  they  receive 
pay  for  a  sort  of  family  fare  provided  for  strangers.  The 
house,  in  frequent  instances,  is  built  of  square  pine  logs  lap 
ping  at  the  four  corners,  and  the  interstices  filled  up  wdth 
little  blocks  of  wood  plastered  over  and  cemented."  The 
ridges  of  mountain  ribbed  with  pine  trees,  the  veins  of  cop 
per  and  iron  revealed  by  the  oxydated  soil,  the  nutritious 
"  hoecake,"  the  marvellous  caves  and  Natural  Bridge,  the 
comical  negroes,  the  salubrious  mineral  springs,  the  occa 
sional  hunts  such  as  cheered  the  hospitable  manor  of  Fairfax, 
the  conclaves  of  village  politicians,  the  horse  racing,  cock 
fighting,  the  hard  drinking,  the  famous  "  reel "  of  the  dan 
cers  and  turkey  shooting  of  the  riflemen,  were  then  as  charac 
teristic  of  the  Old  Dominion  as  when  the  judicial  mind  of 
her  Marshall,  the  eloquence  of  her  Henry,  the  eccentricities 


400  AMERICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

of  her  Randolph,  or  the  matchless  patriotism  of  her  Wash 
ington  made  her  actual  social  life  illustrious.  The  field  of 
Yorktown,  the  memorable  "  Raleigh  tavern,"  and  the  ubiqui 
tous  "  first  family,"  had  not  ceased  to  be  favorite  landmarks 
and  jokes,  any  more  than  tobacco  the  staple  or  slavery  the 
problem  of  this  fertile  but  half-developed  region  and  incon 
gruous  community. 

Paulding  gave  vent  to  his  indignant  patriotism,  when  the 
second  war  with  England  broke  out,  in  "  The  Diverting  His 
tory  of  John  Bull  and  Brother  Jonathan,"  *  in  the  manner  of 
Arbuthnot.  In  this  work,  the  two  countries  are  made  to 
figure  as  individuals,  and  the  difficulties  between  the  two 
nations  are  exhibited  as  a  family  quarrel.  England's  course 
is  the  subject  of  a  severe  but  not  acrimonious  satire.  It  was 
republished  abroad  and  illustrated  at  home,  and  the  idea  still 
further  developed  in  a  subsequent  story  entitled  "  Uncle  Sam 
and  his  Boys." 

A  visit  to  Ohio  from  New  England  was  formidable  as 
late  as  1796,  when  Morris  Cleveland,  whose  name  is  now 
borne  by  the  city  where  then  spread  a  wilderness,  accompa 
nied  the  survey  as  agent  of  those  citizens  of  Connecticut  to 
whom  she  gave  an  enormous  land  grant  in  Ohio,  to  indemnify 
them  for  the  loss  of  their  property  destroyed  by  the  British 
during  the  Revolution.  The  party  ascended  the  Mohawk  in 
bateaux,  which  they  carried  over  the  "  portage "  of  Little 
Falls  to  Fort  Stanwix,  now  Rome,  where  there  was  another 
portage  to  Wood  Creek,  which  empties  into  Oneida  Lake ; 
thence  they  passed  through  its  outlet  and  the  Oswego  River 
into  Lake  Ontario,  following  the  south  shore  thereof  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Niagara  River ;  crossing  seven  miles  of  port 
age  to  Buffalo,  and  thence  to  the  region  of  which  Cleveland 
now  forms  the  prosperous  centre.  The  descendants  of  these 
landowners — some  of  whom  yet  may  be  found  in  the  towns 
that  suffered  from  the  enemy's  incursions  eighty  years  ago, 
such  as  New  London,  Groton,  and  Fairfield — if  they  possess 

*  "John  Bull  in  America;  or,  New  Munchausen,"  second  edition,  18mo., 
pp.  228.  The  original  and  genuine  edition,  New  York,  1825. 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS    AND   WRITERS.  401 

any  record  of  the  hardships  thus  endured  and  the  time  con 
sumed,  might  find  a  wonderful  evidence  of  progress  and 
growth,  in  the  facility  with  which  they  can  now  reach  the 
same  spot  by  a  few  hours  of  railway  travel  along  the  pic 
turesque  track  of  the  Erie  road. 

We  must  revert  to  such  memorials  to  appreciate  what 
"  going  West "  implied  forty  or  fifty  years  ago,  and  to  under 
stand  the  interest  which  the  narratives  of  travellers  there 
then  excited.  Before  this  experience  became  familiar,  there 
were  two  writers  who  enjoyed  much  popularity  in  the  North 
and  East,  and  were  extensively  read  abroad,  as  pioneer  de 
lineators  of  life  and  nature  in  the  Western  States,  when  that 
region  fairly  began  its  marvellous  growth  :  these  were  Timo 
thy  Flint  and  James  Hall. 

There  are  writers  whose  works  lack  the  high  finish  and 
the  exhaustive  scope  which  insures  them  permanent  cur 
rency  ;  and  yet  who  were  actuated  by  so  genial  a  spirit  and 
endowed  with  so  many  excellent  qualities,  that  the  impres 
sion  they  leave  is  sweet  and  enduring,  like  the  brief  but 
pleasing  companionship  of  a  kindly  and  intelligent  acquaint 
ance  met  in  travelling,  and  parted  with  as  soon  as  known. 
Those  who,  in  youth,  read  of  the  West  as  pictured  by  Timo 
thy  Flint,  though  for  years  they  may  not  have  referred  to  his 
books,  will  readily  accord  him  such  a  gracious  remembrance. 
He  wrote  before  American  literature  had  enrolled  the  classic 
names  it  now  boasts,  and  when  it  was  so  little  cultivated  as 
scarcely  to  be  recognized  as  a  profession.  And  yet  a  candid 
and  sympathetic  reader  cannot  but  feel  that,  however  defec 
tive  the  products  of  Flint's  pen  may  be  justly  deemed  when 
critically  estimated,  they  not  only  fulfilled  a  most  useful  and 
humane  purpose  at  the  time  they  were  given  to  the  public, 
but  abound  in  the  best  evidences  of  a  capacity  for  author 
ship  ;  which,  under  circumstances  more  favorable  to  disci 
pline,  deliberate  construction,  and  gradual  development, 
would  have  secured  him  a  high  and  permanent  niche  in  the 
temple  of  fame.  Flint  had  all  the  requisite  elements  for  lit 
erary  success — uncommon  powers  of  observation,  a  generous 


402  AMERICA   AND    HER    COMMENTATORS. 

tone  of  mind,  habits  of  industry,  a  command  of  language, 
imagination,  scientific  tastes,  and  a  vein  of  originality  com 
bined  with  a  kindliness  of  heart  that  would  honor  and  ele 
vate  any  vocation.  On  the  other  hand,  it  was  not  until  the 
mature  age  of  forty-five  that  he  fairly  embarked  in  author 
ship.  That  business  was  far  from  profitable,  and,  to  make  it 
remunerative,  he  was  obliged  to  write  fast,  and  publish  with 
out  revision.  His  health  was  always  precarious.  He  had 
few  of  those  associations  whereby  an  author  is  encouraged  in 
the  refinements  and  individuality  of  his  work  by  the  exam 
ple  and  critical  sympathy  of  his  peers.  It  is  not,  therefore, 
surprising  that  his  success  varied  in  the  different  spheres  of 
literary  experiment ;  that  the  marks  of  haste,  sometimes  a 
desultory  and  at  others  a  crude  style,  mar  the  nicety  and 
grace  of  his  productions ;  and  that  many  of  these  are  more 
remarkable  for  the  material  than  the  art  they  exhibit.  Yet 
such  was  the  manly  force,  such  the  kindly  spirit  and  fresh 
tone  of  this  estimable  man  and  attractive  writer,  that  he  not 
only  gave  to  the  public  a  large  amount  of  new  and  useful 
information,  and  charmed  lovers  of  nature  with  a  picturesque 
and  faithful  picture  of  her  aspects  in  the  West,  then  rarely 
traversed  by  the  people  of  the  older  States,  but  it  is  conceded 
that  his  writings  were  singularly  effective  in  producing  a  bet 
ter  mutual  understanding  between  the  two  extremes  of  the 
country.  For  several  years  Timothy  Flint  was  almost  the 
only  representative  of  the  American  authorship  west  of  the 
Alleghanies.  Travellers  speak  of  an  interview  with  him  as 
an  exceptional  and  charming  social  incident.  When  that  long 
range  of  mountains  was  tediously  crossed  in  stages ;  wrhen  a 
visit  to  the  West  was  more  formidable  than  a  passage  across 
the  Atlantic  now ;  and  when  material  well-being  was  the 
inevitable  and  absorbing  occupation  of  the  newly  settled 
towns  along  the  great  rivers,  it  may  easily  be  imagined  how 
benign  an  influence  an  urbane  and  liberal  writer  and  scholar 
would  exert  at  home,  and  how  welcome  his  report  of  per 
sonal  experience  would  prove  to  older  communities.  Accord 
ingly,  Timothy  Flint  was  extensively  read  and  widely  be- 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS    AND  .WRITERS.  4:03 

loved.  A  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  by  profession  a 
clergyman,  he  entered  on  a  missionary  life  in  the  Valley  of 
the  Mississippi  in  1815  ;  sojourning  in  Ohio,  Indiana,  Ken 
tucky,  Missouri,  Arkansas,  and  Louisiana,  now  as  a  teacher 
and  now  as  a  preacher  ;  at  home  in  the  wilderness,  a  favorite 
in  society,  winning  children  and  hunters  by  his  wisdom  and 
eloquence,  and  endearing  himself  to  the  educated  residents 
of  St.  Louis,  New  Orleans,  or  Cincinnati,  by  his  liberal  and 
cultivated  influence.  It  is,  perhaps,  impossible  to  imagine 
how  different  these  cities  and  settlements  were  before  facility 
of  communication  had  enlarged  and  multiplied  their  social 
resources ;  but  we  have  many  striking  evidences  of  the 
characteristics  of  each  in  Flint's  writings.  He  wrote  several 
novels,  which  are  now  little  considered,  and,  compared  with 
the  present  standard  in  that  popular  department  of  letters, 
would  be  found  indifferent ;  yet,  wherever  the  author  has 
drawn  from  observation,  he  leaves  a  vital  trace.  In  "  Fran 
cis  Berrian,"  which  is  a  kind  of  memoir  of  a  New  Englander 
who  became  a  Mexican  patriot,  and  in  "  Shoshonoe  Valley," 
there  are  fine  local  pictures  and  touches  of  character  obvi 
ously  caught  from  his  ten  years'  experience  of  missionary 
life.  Flint  wrote  also  lectures,  tales,  and  sketches.  He 
edited  magazines  both  in  the  North  and  West,  and  contrib 
uted  to  a  London  journal.  But  the  writings  which  are  chiefly 
stamped  with  the  flavor  of  his  life  and  the  results  of  his 
observations — those  which,  at  the  time,  were  regarded  as 
original  and  authentic,  and  now  may  be  said  to  contain  among 
the  best,  because  the  most  true,  delineations  of  the  West — 
are  his  "  Condensed  Geography  and  History  of  the  Missis 
sippi  Valley,"  *  and  his  "  Recollections  of  Ten  Years " 
(1826)  residence  therein.  These  works  were  cordially  wel 
comed  at  home  and  abroad.  They  proved  valuable  and  inter 
esting  to  savant,  naturalist,  emigrant,  and  general  readers  ; 
and,  while  more  complete  works  on  the  subject  have  since 

*  "  History  and  Geography  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  with  tne  Physical 
Geography  of  the  whole  American  Continent,"  by  Timothy  Flint,  2  vols.  in  1, 
8vo.,  Cincinnati,  1832. 


404:  AMERICA   AND   HEK   COMMENTATOES. 

appeared,  the  period  which  gave  birth  to  them,  and  the 
character  and  capacity  of  their  author,  still  endear  and  ren 
der  them  useful.  The  London  Quarterly  was  singularly 
frank  and  free  in  its  commendation  of  Flint,  whom  it  pro 
nounced  "  sincere,  humane,  and  liberal "  on  the  internal  evi 
dence  of  these  writings ;  declaring,  also,  that  the  author 
indulged  "  hardly  a  prejudice  that  is  not  amiable." 

In  1840,  on  his  way  to  his  native  town — Reading,  in  Mas 
sachusetts — Flint  and  his  son  were  at  Natchez,  when  the 
memorable  tornado  occurred  which  nearly  destroyed  the 
place,  and  were  several  hours  buried  under  the  ruins.  The 
father's  health  continued  to  decline,  and,  although  he  reached 
his  early  home  and  survived  a  few  weeks,  the  summons  that 
called  his  wife  reached  her  too  late. 

The  peculiar  value  of  Timothy  Flint's  account  of  the 
remarkable  region  of  whose  history  and  aspect  he  wrote, 
consists  in  the  fact  that  it  is  not  the  result  of  a  cursory  sur 
vey  or  rapid  tour,  but  of  years  of  residence,  intimate  contact 
with  nature  and  man,  and  patient  observation.  The  record 
thus  prepared  is  one  which  will  often  be  consulted  by  subse 
quent  writers.  The  circumstances,  political  and  social,  have 
greatly  changed  since  our  author's  advent,  nearly  half  a  cen 
tury  ago  ;  but  the  features  of  nature  are  identical,  and  it  is 
pleasant  to  compare  them  with  his  delineation  before  modi 
fied  by  the  adorning  and  enriching  tide  of  civilization. 
There  is  one  portion  of  these  writings  that  has  a  perma 
nent  charm,  and  that  is  the  purely  descriptive.  Flint  knew 
how  to  depict  landscapes  in  words  ;  and  no  one  has  more 
graphically  revealed  to  distant  readers  the  shores  of  the 
Ohio,  or  made  so  real  in  our  language  the  physical  aspects 
of  the. Great  Valley. 

Of  native  travellers,  the  unpretending  and  brief  record 
called  "  The  Letters  of  Hibernicus  "  *  possesses  a  singular 
charm,  from  being  associated  with  the  recreative  work  of  an 
eminent  statesman,  and  with  one  of  the  most  auspicious  eco- 

*  "  Letters  on  the  Natural  History  and  Internal  Resources  of  the  State 
of  New  York,"  by  Hibernicus,  New  York,  1822,  18mo. 


AMERICAN   TEAVELLEES   AND   WEITEES.  405 

nomical  achievements  which  ever  founded  and  fostered  the 
prosperity  of  a  State  and  city.  When  De  Witt  Clinton  ex 
plored  the  route  of  the  Erie  Canal,  he  communicated  his 
wayside  observations  in  a  series  of  familiar  epistles,  wherein 
the  zest  of  a  naturalist,  the  ardor  of  a  patriot,  and  the  humor 
of  a  genial  observer  are  instinctively  blended. 

"  This  account  of  his  exploration  of  Western  New 
York,*  which  originally  appeared  in  one  of  the  journals  of 
the  day,  oifers  a  wonderful  contrast  to  our  familiar  experi 
ence.  Then,  to  use  his  own  language,  '  the  stage  driver  was 
a  leading  beau,  and  the  keeper  of  a  turnpike  gate  a  man  of 
consequence.'  Our  three  hours'  trip  from  New  York  to 
Albany  was  a  voyage  occupying  ten  times  that  period.  At 
Albany  stores  were  laid  in,  and  each  member  of  the  commis 
sion  provided  himself  with  a  blanket,  as  caravans,  in  our 
time,  are  equipped  at  St.  Louis  for  an  expedition  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  Here  they  breakfast  at  a  tollkeeper's, 
there  they  dine  on  cold  ham  at  an  isolated  farmhouse ;  now 
they  mount  a  baggage  wagon,  and  now  take  to  a  boat  too 
small  to  admit  of  sleeping  accommodations,  which  leads  them 
constantly  to  regret  their  '  unfortunate  neglect  to  provide 
marquees  and  camp  stools;'  and  more  than  six  weeks  are 
occupied  in  a  journey  which  now  does  not  consume  as  many 
days.  Yet  the  charm  of  patient  observation,  the  enjoyment 
of  nature,  and  the  gleanings  of  knowledge,  caused  what,  in 
our  locomotive  era,  would  seem  a  tedious  pilgrimage,  to  be 
fraught  with  a  pleasure  and  advantage  of  which  our  flying 
tourists  over  modern  railways  never  dream.  We  perceive, 
by  the  comparison,  that  what  has  been  gained  in  speed  is 
often  lost  in  rational  entertainment.  The  traveller  who 
leaves  New  York  in  the  morning,  to  sleep  at  night  under  the 
roar  of  Niagara,  has  gathered  nothing  in  the  magical  transit 
but  dust,  fatigue,  and  the  risk  of  destruction ;  while,  in  that 
deliberate  progress  of  the  canal  enthusiast,  not  a  phase  of 
the  landscape,  not  an  historical  association,  not  a  fruit,  min 
eral,  or  flower  was  lost  to  his  view.  He  recognizes  the  be- 
*  From  the  author's  "  Biographical  and  Critical  Essays." 


406  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

nign  provision  of  nature  for  sugar,  so  far  from  the  tropics, 
by  the  sap  of  the  maple  ;  and  for  salt,  at  such  a  distance 
from  the  ocean,  by  the  lakes  that  hold  it  in  solution  near 
Syracuse.  At  Geddesburg  he  recalls  the  valor  of  the  Iro- 
quois,  and  the  pious  zeal  of  the  Jesuits ;  at  Seneca  Lake  he 
watches  a  bald  eagle  chasing  an  osprey,  who  lets  his  captive 
drop  to  be  grasped  in  the  talons  of  the  king  of  birds ;  the 
fields  near  Aurora  cheer  him  with  the  harvests  of  the  '  finest 
wheat  country  in  the  world.'  At  one  place  he  is  regaled 
with  salmon,  at  another  with  fruit,  peculiar  in  flavor  to  each 
locality  ;  at  one  moment  he  pauses  to  shoot  a  bittern,- and  at 
another  to  examine  an  old  fortification.  The  capers  and  pop 
pies  in  a  garden,  the  mandrakes  and  thistles  in  a  brake,  the 
bluejays  and  woodpeckers  of  the  grove,  the  bullet  marks  in 
the  rafters  of  Fort  Niagara,  tokens  of  the  siege  under  Sir 
William  Johnson,  the  boneset  of  the  swamp,  a  certain  remedy 
for  the  local  fever,  a  Yankee  exploring  the  country  for  lands, 
the  croaking  of  the  bullfrog  and  the  gleam  of  the  firefly, 
Indian  men  spearing  for  fish,  and  girls  making  wampum — 
these  and  innumerable  other  scenes  and  objects  lure  him  into 
the  romantic  vistas  of  tradition,  or  the  beautiful  domain  of 
natural  science ;  and  everywhere  he  is  inspired  by  the  patri 
otic  survey  to  announce  the  as  yet  unrecorded  promise  of  the 
soil,  and  to  exult  in  the  limitless  destiny  of  its  people.  If 
there  is  a  striking  diversity  between  the  population  and  facili 
ties  of  travel  in  this  region  as  known  to  us  and  as  described 
by  him,  there  is  in  other  points  a  not  less  remarkable  identity. 
Rochester  is  now  famed  as  the  source  of  one  of  the  most 
prolific  superstitions  of  the  age ;  and  forty  years  ago  there 
resided  at  Crooked  Lane,  Jemima  Wilkinson,  whose  follow 
ers  believed  her  the  Saviour  incarnate.  Clinton  describes  her 
equipage — '  a  plain  coach  with  leather  curtains,  the  back  in 
scribed  with  her  initials  and  a  star.'  The  orchards,  poultry, 
cornfields,  gristmills  noted  by  him,  still  characterize  the 
region,  and  are  indefinitely  multiplied.  The  ornithologist, 
however,  would  miss  whole  species  of  birds,  and  the  richly- 
veined  woods  must  be  sought  in  less  civilized  districts.  The 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS    AND   WRITERS.  407 

prosperous  future  which  the  varied  products  of  this  district 
foretold,  has  been  more  than  realized ;  with  each  successive 
improvement  in  the  means  of  communication,  villages  have 
swelled  to  cities ;  barges  and  freight  cars  with  lumber  and 
flour  have  crowded  the  streams  and  rails  leading  to  the  me 
tropolis  ;  and,  in  the  midst  of  its  rural  beauty,  and  gemmed 
with  peerless  lakes,  the  whole  region  has,  according  to  his 
prescient  conviction,  annually  increased  in  commerce,  popula 
tion,  and  refinement. 

A  more  noble  domain,  indeed,  wherein  to  exercise  such 
administrative  genius,  can  scarcely  be  imagined  than  the 
State  of  New  York.  In  its  diversities  of  surface,  water, 
scenery,  and  climate,  it  may  be  regarded,  more  than  any 
other  member  of  the  confederacy,  as  typical  of  the  Union. 
The  artist,  the  topographer,  the  man  of  science,  and  the  agri 
culturist,  can  find  within  its  limits  all  that  is  most  character 
istic  of  the  entire  country.  In  historical  incident,  variety  of 
immigrant  races,  and  rapid  development,  it  is  equally  a  rep 
resentative  State.  There  spreads  the  luxuriant  Mohawk  Val 
ley,  whose  verdant  slopes,  even  when  covered  with  frost,  the 
experienced  eye  of  Washington  selected  for  purchase  as  the 
best  of  agricultural  tracts.  There  were  the  famed  hunting 
grounds  of  the  Six  Nations,  the  colonial  outposts  of  the  fur 
trade,  the  vicinity  of  Frontenac's  sway,  and  the  Canada  wars, 
the  scenes  of  Andre's  capture,  and  Burgoyne's  surrender. 
There  the  very  names  of  forts  embalm  the  fame  of  heroes. 
There  lived  the  largest  manorial  proprietors,  and  not  a  few 
of  the  most  eminent  Revolutionary  statesmen.  There  Ful 
ton's  great  invention  was  realized ;  there  flows  the  most 
beautiful  of  our  rivers,  towers  the  grandest  mountain  range, 
and  expand  the  most  picturesque  lakes ;  there  thunders  the 
sublimest  cataract  on  earth,  and  gush  the  most  salubrious 
spas  ;  while  on  the  seaboard  is  the  emporium  of  the  Western 
world. 

A  poet  has  apostrophized  North  America,  with  no  less 
truth  than  beauty,  as  '  the  land  of  many  waters ; '  and  a 
glance  at  the  map  of  New  York  will  indicate  their  felicitous 


408  AMERICA   AND  HER   COMMENTATORS. 

distribution  within  her  limits.  This  element  is  the  natural 
and  primitive  means  of  intercommunication.  For  centuries 
it  had  borne  the  aborigines  in  their  frail  canoes,  and  after 
ward  the  trader,  the  soldier,  the  missionary,  and  the  emi 
grant,  in  their  bateaux ;  and,  when  arrived  at  a  terminus, 
they  carried  these  light  transports  over  leagues  of  portage, 
again  to  launch  them  on  lake  and  river.  Fourteen  years  of 
Clinton's  life  were  assiduously  devoted  to  his  favorite  project 
of  uniting  these  bodies  of  water.  He  was  the  advocate,1  the 
memorialist,  the  topographer,  and  financier  of  the  vast  enter 
prise,  and  accomplished  it,  by  his  wisdom  and  intrepidity, 
without  the  slightest  pecuniary  advantage,  and  in  the  face  of 
innumerable  obstacles.  Its  consummation  was  one  of  the 
greatest  festivals  sacred  to  a  triumph  of  the  arts  of  peace 
ever  celebrated  on  this  continent.  The  impulse  it  gave  to 
commercial  and  agricultural  prosperity  continues  to  this  hour. 
It  was  the  foundation  of  all  that  makes  the  city  and  State  of 
New  York  preeminent ;  and  when,  a  few  years  since,  a  thou 
sand  American  citizens  sailed  up  the  Mississippi  to  commem 
orate  its  alliance  with  the  Atlantic,  the  ease  and  rapidity  of  the 
transit,  and  the  spectacle  of  virgin  civilization  thus  created, 
were  but  a  new  act  in  the  grand  drama  of  national  develop 
ment,  whose  opening  scene  occurred  twenty-seven  years  be 
fore,  when  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie  blended  with  those  of 
the  Hudson. 

The  immense  bodies  of  inland  water,  and  the  remarkable 
fact  that  the  Hudson  River,  unlike  other  Atlantic  streams 
south  of  it,  flows  unimpeded,  early  impressed  Clinton  with 
the  natural  means  of  intercourse  destined  to  connect  the  sea 
board  of  New  York  with  the  vast  agricultural  districts  of 
the  interior.  He  saw  her  peerless  river  enter  the  Highlands 
only  to  meet,  a  hundred  and  sixty  miles  beyond,  another 
stream,  which  flowed  within  a  comparatively  short  distance 
from  the  great  chain  of  lakes.  The  very  existence  of  these 
inland  seas,  and  the  obvious  possibility  of  uniting  them  with 
the  ocean,  suggested  to  his  comprehensive  mind  a  new  idea 
of  the  destiny  of  the  whole  country.  "Within  a  few  years  an 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS    AND   WRITERS.  409 

ingenious  geographer  has  pointed  out,  with  singular  acumen, 
the  relation  of  his  science  to  history,  and  has  demonstrated, 
by  a  theory  not  less  philosophical  than  poetic,  that  the  dispo 
sition  of  land  and  water  in  various  parts  of  the  globe  prede 
termines  the  human  development  of  each  region.  The  copi 
ous  civilization  of  Europe  is  thus  traceable  to  the  numerous 
facilities  of  approach  that  distinguish  it  from  Africa,  which 
still  remains  but  partially  explored.  The  lakes  in  America 
prophesied  to  the  far-reaching  vision  of  Clinton  her  future 
progress.  He  perceived,  more  clearly  than  any  of  his  con 
temporaries,  that  her  development  depended  upon  facilities 
of  intercourse  and  communication.  He  beheld,  with  intui 
tive  wisdom,  the  extraordinary  provision  for  this  end,  in  the 
succession  of  lake  and  river,  extending,  like  a  broad  silver 
tissue,  from  the  ocean  far  through  the  land,  thus  bringing  the 
products  of  foreign  climes  within  reach  of  the  lone  emigrant 
in  the  heart  of  the  continent,  and  the  staples  of  those  mid 
land  valleys  to  freight  the  ships  of  her  seaports.  He  felt  that 
the  State  of  all  others  to  practically  demonstrate  this  great 
faot,  was  that  with  whose  interests  he  was  intrusted.  It  was 
not  as  a  theorist,  but  as  a  utilitarian,  in  the  best  sense,  that 
he  advocated  the  union  by  canal  of  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie 
with  those  of  the  Hudson.  The  patriotic  scheme  was  fraught 
with  issues  of  which  even  he  never  dreamed.  It  was  apply 
ing,  on  a  limited  scale,  in  the  sight  of  a  people  whose  enter 
prise  is  boundless  in  every  direction  clearly  proved  to  be 
available,  a  principle  which  may  be  truly  declared  the  vital 
element  of  our  civic  growth.  It  was  giving  tangible  evidence 
of  the  creative  power  incident  to  locomotion.  It  was  yield 
ing  the  absolute  evidence  then  required  to  convince  the  less 
far-sighted  multitude  that  access  was  the  grand  secret  of  in 
creased  value  ;  that  exchange  of  products  was  the  touchstone 
of  wealth ;  and  that  the  iron,  wood,  grain,  fruit,  and  other 
abundant  resources  of  the  interior  could  acquire  their  real 
value  only  through  facilities  of  transportation.  Simple  as 
these  truths  appear  now,  they  were  widely  ignored  then ;  and 
not  a  few  opponents  of  Clinton  predicted  that,  even  if  he  did 
18 


410  AMERICA  AND   HER  COMMENTATORS. 

succeed  in  having  flour  conveyed  from  what  was  then  called 
the  '  Far  West '  to  the  metropolis,  at  a  small  expense  of  time 
and  money,  the  grass  would  grow  in  the  streets  of  New 
York.  The  political  economists  of  his  day  were  thus  con 
verted  into  enemies  of  a  system  which,  from  that  hour,  has 
continued  to  guide  to  prosperous  issues  every  latent  source 
of  wealth  throughout  the  country.  The  battle  with  igno 
rance  and  prejudice,  which  Clinton  and  his  friends  waged, 
resulted  in  more  than  a  local  triumph  and  individual  renown. 
It  established  a  great  precedent,  offered  a  prolific  example, 
and  gave  permanent  impulse  and  direction  to  the  public  spirit 
of  the  community.  The  canal  is  now,  in  a  great  measure, 
superseded  by  the  railway ;  the  traveller  sometimes  finds 
them  side  by  side,  and,  as  he  glances  from  the  sluggish 
stream  and  creeping  barge  to  the  whirling  cars,  and  thence 
to  the  telegraph  wire,  he  witnesses  only  the  more  perfect  de 
velopment  of  that  great  scheme  by  which  Clinton,  according 
to  the  limited  means  and  against  the  inveterate  prejudices  of 
his  day,  sought  to  bring  the  distant  near,  and  to  render 
homogeneous  and  mutually  helpful  the  activity  of  a  single 
State,  and,  by  that  successful  experiment,  indicated  the  pro 
cess  whereby  the  whole  confederacy  should  be  rendered  one 
in  interest,  in  enterprise,  and  in  sentiment. 

Before  the  canal  policy  was  realized,  we  are  told  by  its 
great  advocate  that  '  the  expense  of  conveying  a  barrel  of 
flour  by  land  to  Albany,  from  the  country  above  Cayuga 
Lake,  was  more  than  twice  as  much  as  the  cost  of  transporta 
tion  from  New  York  to  Liverpool ; '  and  the  correctness  of 
his  financial  anticipations  was  verified  by  the  first  year's  ex 
periment,  even  before  the  completion  of  the  enterprise,  when, 
in  his  message  to  the  legislature,  he  announced  that  '  the 
income  of  the  canal  fund,  when  added  to  the  tolls,  exceeded 
the  interest  on  the  cost  of  the  canal  by  nearly  four  hundred 
thousand  dollars.'  Few,  however,  of  the  restless  excursion 
ists  that  now  crowd  our  cars  and  steamboats,  would  respond 
to  his  praise  of  this  means  of  transportation  when  used  for 
travel.  His  notion  of  a  journey,  we  have  seen,  differed  essen- 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS   AND  WRITERS.  411 

tially  from  that  now  in  vogue,  which  seems  to  aim  chiefly  at 
the  annihilation  of  space.  To  a  philosophic  mind,  notwith 
standing,  his  views  will  not  appear  irrational,  when  he  de 
clares  that  fifty  miles  a  day,  '  without  a  jolt,'  is  his  ideal  of 
a  tour — the  time  to  be  divided  between  observing,  and,  when 
there  is  no  interest  in  the  scenery,  reading  and  conversation. 
4 1  believe,'  he  adds,  '  that  cheaper  or  more  commodious 
travelling  cannot  be  found.'  " 

James  Hall  wrote  a  series  of  graphic  letters  in  the  Port 
folio — one  of  the  earliest  literary  magazines,  published  in 
Philadelphia — which  were  subsequently  collected  in  a  volume, 
and  were  among  the  first  descriptive  sketches  of  merit  that 
made  the  West  familiar  and  attractive  to  the  mass  of  read 
ers.  Born  in  Philadelphia  in  1793,  the  author  entered  the 
army,  and  was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Lundy's  Lane,  at  the 
siege  of  Fort  Erie,  and  on  other  occasions  during  the  war  of 
1812.  Six  years  later  he  resigned  his  commission,  and,  in 
1820,  removed  to  Illinois,  where  he  studied  and  practised 
law,  became  a  member  of  the  legislature  and  judge  of  the 
circuit  court.  In  1833  he  again  changed  his  residence  to 
Cincinnati,  where  he  was  long  occupied  as  cashier  of  a  bank, 
and  in  the  pursuits  of  literature.  From  his  intimate  ac 
quaintance  with  the  Western  country,  his  experience  as  a 
soldier  and  a  legislator,  habits  of  intelligent  observation,  and 
an  animated  and  agreeable  style,  he  was  enabled  to  write 
attractively  of  a  region  comparatively  new  to  the  literary 
public,  and  for  many  years  his  books  were  a  popular  source 
of  information  and  entertainment  for  those  eager  to  know  the 
characteristics  and  enjoy  the  adventurous  or  historical  ro 
mances  of  the  Western  States  first  settled.  He  successively 
published  letters  from  and  legends  of  the  West,  tales  of  the 
border,  and  statistics  of  and  notes  on  that  new  and  growing 


*  "  Legends  of  the  West,"  12mo.,  Philadelphia,  1833. 
"  Sketches  of  History,  Life,  and  Manners  in  the  West,"  2  vols.  12mo., 
Philadelphia,  1835. 

"  Notes  on  the  Western  States,"  12mo.,  Philadelphia,  1838. 
"  The  Wilderness  and  the  War  Path,"  12mo.,  New  York,  1846. 
"  The  West,  its  Soil,  Surface,  and  Productions,"  Cincinnati,  1848. 


412  AMERICA  AND   HER  COMMENTATORS. 

With  the  progress  of  the  country,  and  the  leisure  and  its 
consequent  literary  taste  which  peace  and  prosperity  induce, 
more  deliberate  works  began  to  appear  from  native  authors, 
which,  without  being  literally  Travels,  contain  their  best 
fruits,  and  possess  a  more  mature  attraction.  The  same 
causes  led  to  critical  observation  and  pleas  for  reform.  Two 
books  especially  won  not  only  attention,  but  fame :  they 
were  the  productions  of  men  of  classical  education,  genial 
tastes,  and  public  spirit,  but  diverse  in  subject  as  their  au 
thors  were  in  vocation — one  an  eloquent  lawyer,  and  the 
other  an  enterprising  merchant.  "  Letters  from  the  Eastern 
States,"  by  William  Tudor,  appeared  in  1819.  Their  origi 
nality  and  acuteness  were  at  once  acknowledged ;  and, 
although  the  discussion  of  some  questions  now  seems  too 
elaborate,  they  are  an  excellent  memorial  of  the  times  and 
the  region  they  describe.  Tudor  was  an  efficient  friend  of 
the  first  purely  literary  periodical  established  in  New  Eng 
land,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  first  public  library,  and  the 
originator  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument.  William  Wirt,  in 
Virginia,  at  an  early  date  exhibited  the  same  love  of  elegant 
letters,  initiated  a  work  similar  in  scope  and  aim  to  Addi- 
son's  Spectator,  and  was  not  only  an  eloquent  speaker  and 
favorite  companion,  but  a  scholar  of  classic  taste  and  literary 
aspirations.  In  the  winter  of  1803  he  published,  in  the 
Argus — a  daily  journal  of  Richmond,  Va., — "Letters  of  a 
British  Spy,"  which  were  collected  and  issued  in  a  book 
form.*  Like  Irving  in  the  case  of  "  Knickerbocker,"  he  re 
sorted  to  the  ruse  of  a  pretended  discovery  of  papers  left  in 
an  inn  chamber.  The  success  of  these  "  Letters "  surprised 

*  "  The  British  Spy ;  or,  Letters  to  a  Member  of  the  British  Parliament," 
written  during  a  tour  through  the  United  States,  by  a  Young  Englishman  of 
Rank,  18mo.,  pp.  103,  Newburyport,  1804. — "The  above  is  the  original  edi 
tion  of  the  now  celebrated  letters  of  the  British  Spy,  written  by  the  American 
Plato,  William  Wirt.  For  the  amount  of  what  he  has  written,  no  American 
author  has  won  so  permanent  and  widespread  a  reputation.  His  story  of  the 
blind  preacher  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  affecting  in  the  language. 
This  book  has  gone  through  fifteen  editions,  and  is  destined  to  go  through  as 
many  more." — (rowan's  Catalogue. 


AMERICAN   TKAVELLEES   AND   WEITEES.  413 

the  author,  as  it  would  the  reader  of  the  present  day  unac 
quainted  with  the  circumstances.  Superior  in  style  to  any 
belles-lettres  work  of  the  kind,  of  native  origin,  that  had  yet 
appeared,  and  analyzing  the  merits  of  several  popular  orators 
of  the  time,  the  book  had  a  charm  and  interest  for  its  first 
readers  greatly  owing  to  the  rarity  of  an  intellectual  feast  of 
domestic  production.  Besides  his  remarks  on  the  eloquence^ 
of  the  forum  and  bar,  Wirt  discussed  certain  physical  traits 
and  phenomena  with  zest  and  some  scientific  insight,  and 
gave  incidental  but  graphic  sketches  of  local  society  and 
manners.  His  reflections  on  the  character  of  Pocahontas, 
and  his  portrait  of  the  "  Blind  Preacher,"  are  familiar  as 
favorite  specimens  of  descriptive  writing.  Although  now 
little  read,  the  "Letters  of  a  British  Spy"  are  a  pleasing  land 
mark  in  the  brief  record  of  American  literature,  and  give  us 
a  not  inadequate  idea  of  the  life  and  region  delineated.  In 
1812,  an  edition  was  published  in  London,  with  an  apologetic 
preface  indicative  of  the  feeling  then  prevalent  across  the 
water  in  regard  to  all  mental  products  imported  from  the 
United  States,  aggravated,  perhaps,  by  the  nom  de  plume 
Wirt  had  adopted.  The  publisher  declares  his  "  conviction 
of  its  merit "  induces  him  to  offer  the  work  to  the  public, 
though  "  it  is  feared  the  present  demand  on  the  English 
reader  may  be  considered  more  as  a  call  on  British  courtesy 
and  benevolence  than  one  of  right  and  equity." 

When  our  national  novelist  returned  to  America,  after  a 
residence  of  many  years  in  Europe,  he  undertook  to  give  his 
countrymen  the  benefit  of  his  experience  and  reflections  in 
the  shape  of  direct  censure  and  counsel.  "  The  Monnikins  " 
— a  political  satire — "  The  American  Democrat,"  "  Homeward 
Bound,"  "  Home  as  Found,"  "  A  Letter  to  his  Countrymen," 
and  other  productions  in  the  shape  of  essays,  fiction,  and 
satire,  gave  expression  to  convictions  and  arguments  born' of 
sincere  and  patriotic  motives  and  earnest  thought.  In  his 
general  views,  Cooper  had  right  and  reason  on  his  side. 
What  lie  wrote  of  political  abuses  and  social  anomalies,  every 
candid  and  cultivated  American  has  known  and  felt  to  be 


414:  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

true,  especially  after  a  visit  to  Europe.  But  the  manner  of 
conveying  his  sentiments  was  injudicious.  Description,  not 
satire,  was  his  forte  /  action,  and  not  didactics,  had  given 
eclat  to  his  pen  ;  hence  his  admirers  believed  he  had  mistaken 
his  vocation  in  becoming  a  social  and  political  critic ;  while 
many  were  revolted  by  what  they  conceived  to  be  a  sweep 
ing  and  unauthorized  condemnation.  Moreover,  in  offending 
the  editorial  fraternity,  by  a  caricature  of  their  worst  quali 
ties,  he  drew  around  himself  a  swarm  of  virulent  protests, 
and  thus  was  misjudged :  the  consequence  was  a  series  of 
libel  suits  and  a  wearisome  controversy.  Now  that  the  ex 
aggerated  mood  and  the  gross  misapprehensions  therein  in 
volved,  have  passed  away,  we  can  appreciate  the  abstract  jus 
tice  of  Cooper's  position,  the  manly  spirit  and  the  intelligent 
patriotism  of  his  unfortunate  experiments  as  a  reformer,  and 
revert  to  this  class  of  his  writings  with  profit,  especially  since 
the  crisis  he  anticipated  has  been  reached,  and  the  logic  of 
events  is  enforcing  with  solemn  emphasis  the  lessons  he  un 
graciously  perhaps,  but  honestly  and  bravely,  strove  to  im 
press  upon  his  wayward  countrymen.  If  ever  an  American 
had  a  right  to  assume  the  office  of  censor,  it  was  Cooper. 
He  had,  soon  after  his  arrival  in  Europe,  taken  up  his  pen 
in  behalf  of  his  country,  and  thenceforth  advocated  her 
rights,  defended  her  fame,  and  brought  to  reckoning  her 
ignorant  maligners.  His  "  Notions  of  the  Americans "  did 
much  to  correct  false  impressions  abroad  ;  and  its  author  was 
involved  in  a  long  controversy,  and  became  an  American 
champion  and  oracle,  whose  services  have  never  yet  been 
fully  appreciated,  enhanced  as  they  were  by  his  European 
popularity  as  an  original  American  novelist.  Well  wrote 
Halleck : 

"  Cooper,  whose  name  is  with  his  country's  woven, 

First  in  her  files,  her  pioneer  of  mind, 
A  wanderer  now  in  other  climes,  has  proven 
His  love  for  the  young  land  lie  left  behind." 

It  requires  a  love  of  nature,  an  adventurous  spirit,  and  an 
intelligent  patriotism,  such  as,  in  these  days  of  complex  asso- 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS    AND   WRITERS.  415 

ciations  and  fragmentary  interests,  are  rarely  found  in  the 
same  individual,  to  observe  and  to  write  with  effect  upon  the 
scenes  and  the  character  of  this  republic — especially  those 
parts  thereof  that  are  removed  from  the  great  centres  of 
trade  and  society.  Political  economists  there  are  who  will 
patiently  nomenclate  the  physical  resources  ;  sportsmen  who 
can  discourse  with  relish  of  the  bivouac  and  the  hunt,  and 
their  environment  and  incidents ;  poetical  minds  alert  and 
earnest  in  celebrating  particular  local  charms  :  but  the  Amer 
ican  of  education  who  delights  in  exploring  the  country  and 
invoking  its  brief  past  in  a  historical  point  of  view,  while 
dwelling  con  amore  upon  its  natural  features,  so  as  to  pro 
duce  an  animated  narrative — who  delights  in  the  life  and 
takes  pride  in  the  aspect,  even  when  least  cultivated,  of  his 
native  land,  is  the  exception,  not  the  rule,  among  our  authors. 
The  reasons  are  obvious  :  for  the  scholar  there  is  too  little  of 
that  mysterious  background  to  the  picture  which  enriches  it 
with  vast  human  interest ;  to  the  imaginative  there  is  too 
much  monotony  in  the  landscape  and  the  experience  ;  to  the 
sympathetic,  too  little  variety  and  grace  of  character  in  the 
people ;  and  the  man  who  can  be  eloquent  in  describing 
Italy,  and  vivacious  in  his  traveller's  journal  in  France,  and 
speculative  in  discussing  English  manners,  will  prove  com 
paratively  tame  and  vague  when  a  traveller  at  home — always 
excepting  certain  shrines  of  pilgrimage  long  consecrated  to 
enthusiasm.  He  may  have  profound  emotions  at  Niagara, 
confess  the  inspiration  of  a  favorite  seacoast,  and  expatiate 
upon  the  White  Mountains  with  rapture ;  but  find  a  tour  in 
any  one  section  of  the  land  more  or  less  tedious  and  barren 
of  interest,  or,  at  best,  yielding  but  vague  materials  for  pen 
or  talk.  Exceptions  to  this  average  class,  many  and  mem 
orable,  our  survey  of  Travels  in  America  amply  indicates ; 
but  the  fact  remains,  that  the  feeling  that  invests  Scott's 
novels,  Wilson's  sketches,  the  French  memoirs,  the  German 
poets,  the  intense  partiality,  insight,  and  sentiment  born  of 
local  attachment  and  national  pride,  has  seldom  impregnated 
our  literature,  especially  that  of  travel ;  for  the  novels  of 


416  AMERICA  AND   HEK  COMMENTATOES. 

Cooper,  the  poems  of  Bryant,  and  other  standard  produc 
tions  in*nore  elaborate  and  permanent  spheres,  do  not  invali 
date  the  general  truth.  Among  the  native  writers  who,  from 
the  qualities  already  mentioned,  have  known  how  to  make  the 
narrative  of  an  American  tour  pleasant  and  profitable,  is 
Charles  Fenno  Hoffman,  whose  "  Winter  in  the  West "  is 
quite  a  model  of  its  kind.  It  consists  of  a  series  of  letters 
addressed  to  a  New  York  journal,  describing  a  journey  on 
horseback  in  1835.*  There  was  the  right  admixture  of  poet 
ical  and  patriotic  instinct,  of  knowledge  of  books  and  of  the 
world,  and  of  the  love  both  of  nature  and  adventure,  to  make 
him  an  agreeable  and  instructive  delineator  of  an  experience 
which,  to  many  equally  intelligent  travellers,  would  have 
been  devoid  of  consecutive  interest.  In  his  novels,  tales,  and 
verses,  there  is  a  positive  American  flavor,  which  shows  how 
readily  he  saw  the  characteristic  and  felt  the  beautiful  in  his 
own  country.  To  him  the  Hudson  was  an  object  of  love, 
and  the  history  of  his  native  State  a  strong  personal  interest. 
Unspoiled  by  European  travel,  and  fond  of  sport,  of  the 
freshness  and  freedom  of  the  woods,  and  the  independence 
incident  to  our  institutions,  he,  although  infirm,  bore  discom 
forts  with  cheerfulness,  easily  won  companionship,  and  de 
lighted  in  exercise  and  observation.  Accordingly,  he  notes 
the  weather,  describes  the  face  of  the  country,  recalls  the 
Indian  legends,  speculates  on  the  characters  and  modes  of 
life,  and  discusses  the  historical  antecedents,  as  he  slowly 
roams  over  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  Michigan,  Kentucky,  Vir 
ginia,  and  Illinois,  with  a  lively  tone  and  yet  not  without 
grave  sympathy.  Scenery  is  described  with  a  robust  and 
graphic  rather  than  with  a  dainty  and  rhetorical  pen,  obvi 
ously  guided  by  an  excellent  eye  for  local  distinctions  and 
charms ;  men  and  manners  are  treated  with  an  acute,  gen 
eralized,  and  manly  criticism ;  the  animals,  the  river  craft, 
the  flowers,  the  game,  the  origin  and  growth  of  towns,  the 
aspect  and  resources  of  the  country,  are  each  and  all  conge 
nial  themes.  He  so  enjoys  the  observation  thereof,  as  to  put 
*  "  A  Winter  in  the  West,"  by  a  New  Yorker,  2  vols.,  New  York,  1835. 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  417 

his  reader  in  relation  with  himself,  as  he  did  the  diverse 
characters  he  encountered  in  tavern,  log  house,  military  out 
post,  and  drawing  room.  He  is  neither  revolted  by  coarse 
ness  nor  discouraged  by  inconveniences.  He  takes  us  socia 
bly  along  a  route  now  familiar  to  thousands  who  trav 
erse  it  on  railways  with  scarce  a  thought  of  the  latent  inter 
est  more  tranquil  observation  and  patient  inquiry  would 
elicit.  At  Detroit  we  are  entertained  by  an  historical  epi 
sode,  and  at  Prairie  du  Chien  with  a  veritable  picture  of 
military  life,  character,  and  routine  in  America.  A  conver 
sation  here,  an  anecdote  there,  a  page  of  speculation  now, 
and  again  one  of  description,  something  like  an  adventure 
to-day,  and  of  curious  observation  to-morrow,  beguile  us 
with  so  cheerful  and  intelligent  a  guide,  that,  at  the  end  of 
the  journey,  we  are  surprised  it  yielded  so  many  topics  of 
reflection  and  scenes  of  picturesque  or  human  interest. 

The  statistics  whereby  the  practical  inquirer,  and  the 
agencies  and  examples  whereby  the  social  philosopher,  may 
decide  whether  Cotton  is  king,  may  be  found  in  the  books 
of  Southern  Travel  in  America  written  by  Frederick  Law 
Olmsted.  The  actual  economical  results  of  slave  labor  upon 
the  value  of  property,  the  comfort  and  the  dignity  of  life 
and  manners,  mind,  domestic  economy,  education,  religion, 
social  welfare,  tone  and  tendency,  may  there  be  found,  co 
pious,  specific,  and  authentic.  What  nature  is  in  the  Cot 
ton  States,  and  life  also,  are  therein  emphasized  discreetly. 
How  the  solemn  pine  woods  balmily  shade  the  traveller ; 
how  gracefully  dangle  the  tylandria  festoons  in  hoary  grace  ; 
how  cheerily  gleam  the  holly  berries,  and  glow  the  negroes' 
fires  ;  how  sturdily  are  gnarled  the  cypress  knees  ;  how  mag 
nificent  are  the  liveoaks,  and  luxuriant  the  magnolias,  and 
desolate  the  swamps,  and  comfortless  the  dwellings,  and  reck 
less  the  travel,  and  shiftless  the  ways,  and  rare  the  vaunted 
hospitality,  and  obsolete  the  "  fine  old  country  gentleman  ; " 
and  how  proud  and  poor,  precarious  and  unprogessive  is  the 
civilization  inwoven  with  slave  and  adjacent  to  free  labor, 
is  narrated  without  dogmatism  and  in  matter-of-fact  terms, 
18* 


418  AMERICA   AND   HEE   COMMENTATORS. 

whence  the  economist,  the  humanitarian,  the  philosopher,  the 
Christian,  the  reasonable  man  may  infer  and  elaborate  the 
truth,  and  the  duty  that  truth  involves  and  demands.* 

More  desultory  in  scope,  but  not  less  interesting  as  the 
genuine  report  of  calm  observation,  are  Bryant's  "  Letters 
of  a  Traveller,"  which  are  fresh,  agreeable,  and  authentic 
local  descriptions  and  comments,  superior  in  literary  execu 
tion,  and  therefore  valuable  as  permanent  records  in  the 
literature  of  home  travel.f 

An  important  department  of  American  Travels,  and  for 
scientific  and  historical  objects  invaluable,  is  the  record  of 
Government  expeditions  for  military  or  exploring  purposes, 
from  the  famous  enterprises  of  Lewis  and  Clark  to  those  of 
Simcoe,  Stansbury,  Kendall,  Emory,  Long,  Marcy,  Pike,  Fre 
mont,  Bartlett,  and  others.  Every  new  State  and  Territory 
has  found  its  intelligent  explorer.  The  vast  deserts  and  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  Oregon,  the  Ca- 
manche  hunting  grounds,  Texas,  the  far  Western  aboriginal 
tribes,  the  climate,  soil,  topography,  &c.,  of  the  most  remote 
and  uncivilized  regions  of  the  continent,  have  been  thus  ex 
amined  and  reported,  and  the  narratives  are  often  animated 
by  graphic  and  picturesque  scenes,  or  made  impressive  by 
adventure,  hardship,  and  intrepidity.  Another  remarkable 
class  of  books  is  the  long  list  of  those  devoted  to  California, 
written  and  published  within  the  last  ten  years,  whereby  the 
life,  aspect,  condition,  scenery,  resources,  and  prospects  of 
that  region  are  as  familiar  to  readers  in  the  old  States  as  if 
they  had  explored  the  new  El  Dorado. 

*  "The  Cotton  Kingdom,  a  Traveller's  Observations  on  Cotton  and  Sla 
very  in  the  American  Slave  States,"  based  upon  three  former  volumes  of  Jour 
neys  and  Investigations  by  the  same  author,  by  Frederic  Law  Olmsted,  2  vols. 
12mo.,  with  a  colored  statistical  map  of  the  Cotton  Kingdom  and  its  Depend 
encies. 

f  "  Letters  of  a  Traveller  in  Europe  and  America,"  New  York,  12mo. — 
A  discriminating  critic  observes  of  this  work :  "  Mr.  Bryant's  style  in  these 
Letters  is  an  admirable  model  of  descriptive  prose.  Without  any  appearance 
of  labor,  it  is  finished  with  an  exquisite  grace.  The  genial  love  of  nature 
and  the  lurking  tendency  to  humor  which  it  everywhere  betrays,  prevent  its 
severe  simplicity  from  running  into  hardness,  and  give  it  freshness  and  occa 
sional  glow  in  spite  of  its  prevailing  propriety  and  reserve." 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  419 

The  incidental  records  of  American  travel,  such  as  may 
be  found  in  the  letters,  diaries,  and  memoirs  of  our  own  civic 
leaders  and  military  or  political  heroes,  are  not  the  least 
characteristic  or  suggestive  As  a  specimen,  let  us  refer  to 
the  notes  of  our  peerless  Chief  in  New  England,  when  on  his 
Presidential  tour. 

Here  is  a  glimpse  of  Connecticut  as  it  appeared  to  the 
practical  eye  of  Washington  in  1789.  In  his  Diary,  he  says, 
under  date  of  October  16th  of  that  year:  "About  seven 
o'clock  we  left  the  widow  Haviland's,  and,  after  passing 
Horse  Neck,  six  miles  distant  from  Rye,  the  road  through 
which  is  hilly  and  immensely  stony,  and  trying  to  wheels 
and  carriages,  we  breakfasted  at  Stamford,  which  is  six  miles 
farther,  at  one  Webb's — a  tolerable  good  house.  In  this 
town  are  an  Episcopal  church  and  a  meeting  house.  At  Nor- 
walk,  which  is  ten  miles  farther,  we  made  a  halt  to  feed  our 
horses.  «  To  the  lower  end  of  this  town  sea  vessels  come,  and 
at  the  other  end  are  mills,  stores,  and  an  Episcopal  and  Pres 
byterian  church.  From  hence  to  Fairfield,  where  we  dined 
and  lodged,  is  twelve  miles,  and  part  of  it  very  rough  road, 
but  not  equal  to  Horse  Neck.  The  superb  landscape,  how 
ever,  which  is  to  be  seen  from  the  meeting  house  of  the  lat 
ter,  is  a  rich  regalia.  We  found  all  the  farmers  busily  em 
ployed  in  gathering,  grinding,  and  expressing  the  juice  of 
their  apples.  The  average  crop  of  wheat,  they  say,  is  about 
fifteen  bushels  to  the  acre,  often  twenty,  and  from  that  to 
twenty-five.  The  destructive  evidences  of  British  cruelty  are 
yet  visible  both  at  Norwalk  and  Fairfield,  as  there  are  the 
chimneys  of  many  burnt  houses  standing  yet.  The  principal 
export  from  Norwalk  and  Fairfield  is  horses  and  cattle,  salted 
beef  and  pork,  lumber  and  Indian  corn  for  the  West  Indies, 
and,  in  a  small  degree,  wheat  and  flour." 

"Commenced  my  journey,"  he  writes*  on  the  15th  of 
October,  1789,  "  about  nine  o'clock,  for  Boston  and  the  East 
ern  States."  He  did  not  reach  that  city  until  noon  of  the 

*  "  Diary  from  the  1st  of  October,  1789,  until  the  10th  of  March,  1790," 
printed  by  the  Bradford  Club  from  the  original  manuscripts,  New  York,  1858. 


420  AMEEICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

23d  ;  and  it  is  curious  to  read  of  the  frequent  halts  for  meals, 
to  feed  the  horses,  or  to  pass  the  night,  on  a  route  we  are 
accustomed  to  pass  over  in  as  many  hours  as  days  were  then 
employed.  Washington  makes  agricultural  and  topographi 
cal  notes,  and  in  many  respects  we  recognize  the  same  traits 
of  industry,  and  identify  the  face  of  the  country ;  while  in 
others  the  contrast  is  remarkable. 

He  notes  a  linen  manufacture  at  New  Haven,  white  mul 
berry  "  to  feed  silkworms"  at  Wallingford,  and  remarks  that 
the  silk  culture,  "  except  the  weaving,  is  the  work  of  private 
families,  without  interference  with  other  business,  and  is 
likely  to  turn  out  a  beneficial  amusement." 

At  Hartford,  Colonel  Wadsworth  showed  him  the  wool 
len  factory,  and  specimens  of  broadcloth.  "  I  ordered  a 
suit,"  he  writes,  u  and  of  the  serges  a  whole  piece,  to  make 
breeches  for  my  servants."  Continuing  his  journey,  he  ob 
serves  "  the  whole  road  from  Hartford  to  Springfield  is  level 
and  good,  except  being  too  sandy  in  places,  and  the  fields 
enclosed  with  posts  and  rails,  there  not  being  much  stone." 
He  is  met  often  by  mounted  -escorts  of  gentlemen,  is  enter 
tained  by  the  local  officials,  and  receives  addresses  from  the 
towns.  Of  his  impressions  of  the  State,  we  may  form  an 
idea  by  the  casual  entries  in  his  brief  diary :  "  There  is  great 
equality  in  the  people  of  this  State — few  or  no  opulent  men, 
and  no  poor ;  great  similitude  in  their  buildings,  the  general 
fashion  of  which  is  a  chimney  always  of  stone  or  brick,  and 
door  in  the  middle,  with  a  staircase  fronting  the  latter,  and 
running  up  the  side  of  the  former — two  flush  stones  with  a 
very  good  show  of  sash  and  glass  windows ;  the  size  gen 
erally  is  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  length,  and  from  twenty 
to  thirty  in  width,  exclusive  of  a  back  shed,  which  seems  to 
be  added  as  the  family  increases.  The  farms,  by  the  contigu 
ity  of  the  houses,  are  small,  not  averaging  more  than  a  hun 
dred  acres.  They  are  worked  chiefly  by  oxen,  which  have 
no  other  food  than  hay." 

At  Portsmouth  he  "  went  in  a  boat  to  view  the  harbor. 
Having  lines,  we  proceeded  to  the  fishing  banks  and  fished 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS    AND   WRITERS.  421 

for  cod,  and  only  caught  two.  Dined  at  Mr.  Langdon's,  and 
drank  tea  there  with  a  large  party  of  ladies.  There  are  some 
good  houses  here,  but,  in  general,  they  are  indifferent,  and 
almost  entirely  of  wood.  On  wondering  at  this,  as  the  coun 
try  is  full  of  stone  and  good  clay  for  bricks,  I  was  told  that, 
on  account  of  the  fogs  and  damps,  they  deemed  them  whole- 
somer." 

At  Exeter,  he  writes,  "  a  jealousy  subsists  between  this 
town,  where  the  legislature  alternately  sits,  and  Portsmouth ; 
which,  had  I  known  it  in  time,  would  have  made  it  necessary 
to  have  accepted  an  invitation  to  a  public  dinner." 

"  In  Haverhill  is  a  duck  manufactory  upon  a  small  but 
ingenious  scale." 

At  Boston  he  went  to  an  oratorio,  and  was  entertained  at 
Faneuil  Hall,  "  dined  in  a  large  company  at  Mr.  Bowdoin's, 
and  went  to  an  assembly  in  the  evening,  where  "  there  were 
upward  of  a  hundred  ladies.  Their  appearance  was  elegant, 
and  many  of  them  very  handsome." 

Another  attractive  branch  of  this  subject  may  be  found 
in  commemorative  addresses — a  peculiar  and  prolific  occasion 
of  local  reminiscences  and  comparisons  in  America.  Com 
pare,  for  instance,  the  descriptions  of  New  York  by  Mrs. 
Knight,  Brissot,  or  Wansey,  with  those  of  Dr.  Francis  *  or 
General  Dix  f  in  their  historical  discourses ;  or  the  pictures 
of  Albany  by  Mrs.  Grant  and  Kalm,  with  the  recollections 
thereof  in  his  boyhood  so  genially  imparted  by  the  late 
Judge  Kent ;  J  or  Irving's  epistolary  account  of  his  first 
voyage  up  the  Hudson  with  his  last  trip  to  the  Lakes,  and  we 
have  the  most  complete  historical  contrasts  and  local  transi 
tions,  and  realize  by  wThat  means  and  methods  the  vast  social 
and  economical  changes  have  taken  place. 

*  "  Old  New  York,"  a  Discourse  delivered  before  the  New  York  Historical 
Society,  by  John  W.  Francis,  M.  D.,  LL.  D.,  in  commemoration  of  the  Fifty- 
third  Anniversary,  New  York,  1857. 

f  "  The  City  of  New  York,  its  Growth,  Destiny,  and  Duties,"  a  Lecture  by 
John  A.  Dix,  before  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  New  York,  1853. 

\  "  An  Address  Delivered  before  the  Young  Men's  Association  of  Albany, 
February  Y,  1854,"  by  William  Kent,  New  York,  1854. 


422  AMERICA   AND   HEK   COMMENTATORS. 

Of  the  countless  books  of  Western  travel  and  adventure, 
one  of  the  most  spirited  and  authentic  is  Mrs.  Kirkland's 
"  New  Home  :  Who  '11  Follow  ?  "  to  which  were  subse 
quently  added  her  "  Forest  Life  "  and  "  Western  Clearings." 
The  "  delightful  humor  and  keen  observation  "  of  the  former 
work  made  it  an  established  favorite  as  a  true  reflection  of 
life  in  the  West  at  its  initiatory  stage.  As  a  picture  of 
travel  in  the  same  region,  Washington  living's  "  Tour  on 
the  Prairies "  is  the  most  finished  and  suggestive.  '  It  is 
an  unpretending  account,  comprehending  a  period  of  about 
four  weeks,  of  travelling  and  hunting  excursions  upon  the 
vast  Western  plains.  The  local  features  of  this  interest 
ing  region  have  been  displayed  to  us  in  several  works  of 
fiction,  of  which  it  has  formed  the  scene ;  and  more  for 
mal  illustrations  of  the  extensive  domain  denominated  The 
"West,  and  its  denizens,  have  been  repeatedly  presented  to  the 
public.  But  in  this  volume  one  of  the  most  extraordinary 
and  attractive  portions  of  the  great  subject  is  discussed,  not 
as  the  subsidiary  part  of  a  romantic  story,  nor  yet  in  the  des 
ultory  style  of  epistolary  composition,  but  in  the  deliberate, 
connected  form  of  a  retrospective  narration.  When  we  say 
that  the  "  Tour  on  the  Prairies  "  is  rife  with  the  characteristics 
of  its  author,  no  ordinary  eulogium  is  bestowed.  His  graphic 
power  is  manifest  throughout.  The  boundless  prairies  stretch 
out  inimitably  to  the  fancy,  as  the  eye  scans  his  descriptions. 
The  athletic  figures  of  the  riflemen,  the  gayly  arrayed  Indians, 
the  heavy  buffalo  and  the  graceful  deer,  pass  in  strong  relief 
and  startling  contrast  before  us.  We  are  stirred  by  the  bus 
tle  of  the  camp  at  dawn,  and  soothed  by  its  quiet,  or  delighted 
with  its  picturesque  aspect  under  the  shadow  of  night.  The 
imagination  revels  amid  the  green  oak  clumps  and  verdant 
pea  vines,  the  expanded  plains  and  the  glancing  river,  the 
forest  aisles  and  the  silent  stars.  Nor  is  this  all.  Our  hearts 
thrill  at  the  vivid  representations  of  a  primitive  and  excur 
sive  existence  ;  we  involuntarily  yearn,  as  we  read,  for  the 
genial  activity  and  the  perfect  exposure  to  the  influences  of 
nature  in  all  her  free  magnificence,  of  a  woodland  and  ad- 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  423 

venturous  life ;  the  morning  strain  of  the  bugle,  the  excite 
ment  of  the  chase,  the  delicious  repast,  the  forest  gossiping, 
the  sweet  repose  beneath  the  canopy  of  heaven — how  in 
viting,  as  depicted  by  such  a  pencil ! 

Nor  has  the  author  failed  to  invigorate  and  render  doubly 
attractive  these  descriptive  drawings,  with  the  peculiar  light 
and  shade  of  his  own  rich  humor,  and  the  mellow  softness 
of  his  ready  sympathy.  A  less  skilful  draughtsman  would, 
perhaps,  in  the  account  of  the  preparations  for  departure 
(Chapter  III.),  have  spoken  of  the  hunters,  the  fires,  and  the 
steeds ;  but  who,  except  Geoffrey  Crayon,  would  have  been 
so  quaintly  mindful  of  the  little  dog,  and  the  manner  in  which 
he  regarded  the  operations  of  the  farrier  ?  How  inimitably 
the  Bee  Hunt  is  portrayed  ! — and  what  have  we  of  the  kind 
so  racy  as  the  account  of  the  Republic  of  Prairie  Dogs, 
unless  it  be  that  of  the  Rookery  in  Bracebridge  Hall? 
What  expressive  portraits  are  the  delineations  of  our  rover's 
companions !  How  consistently  drawn  throughout,  and  in 
what  fine  contrast,  are  the  reserved  and  saturnine  Beatte,  and 
the  vain-glorious,  sprightly,  and  versatile  Tonish  !  A  golden 
vein  of  vivacious  yet  chaste  comparison — that  beautiful  yet 
rarely  well-managed  species  of  wit — and  a  wholesome  and 
pleasing  sprinkling  of  moral  comment — that  delicate  and 
often  most  efficacious  medium  of  useful  impressions — inter 
twine  and  vivify  the  main  narrative.  Something,  too,  of 
that  fine  pathos  which  enriches  his  earlier  productions,  en 
hances  the  value  of  this.  He  tells  us,  indeed,  with  com 
mendable  honesty,  of  his  new  appetite  for  destruction,  which 
the  game  of  the  prairie  excited ;  but  we  cannot  fear  for  the 
tenderness  of  a  heart  that  sympathizes  so  readily  with  suffer 
ing,  and  yields  so  gracefully  to  kindly  impulses.  He  gazes 
upon  the  noble  courser  of  the  wilds,  and  wishes  that  his  free 
dom  may  be  perpetuated ;  he  recognizes  the  touching  instinct 
which  leads  the  wounded  elk  to  turn  aside  and  die  in  retiracy ; 
he  reciprocates  the  attachment  of  the  beast  which  sustains 
him,  and,  more  than  all,  can  minister  even  to  the  foibles  of 
a  fellow  being,  rather  than  mar  the  transient  reign  of  human 
pleasure.' 


4:24:  AMERICA  AND  HEE  COMMENT  ATOES. 

A  candid  and  earnest  inquirer,  one  who  seeks  to  under- 
stand  the  facts  and  phases  of  nature,  society,  and  life,  past 
and  present,  in  North  America,  will  find  that  native  talent, 
observation,  and  industry  have  done  more  to  unfold  and  illus 
trate  them  than  is  generally  known  even  by  educated  men. 
Our  literature  includes  not  only  ample  historical  materials  and 
contributions  to  natural  history,  but  aesthetic  and  artistic 
writings,  elucidating  local  scenery  and  character ;  not  only 
economical  and  topographical  books,  but  standard  poems  on 
national  themes,  and  many  other  generic  illustrations  of  the 
country  and  the  people.  No  philosophical  traveller,  who  aims 
at  a  true  knowledge  of  the  country  he  explores,  is  satisfied 
with  a  casual  observation  of  its  external  features,  but  seeks 
to  realize  its  life  and  character,  in  history,  biography,  ro 
mance,  art,  and  poetry. 

The  lives  and  writings  of  the  remarkable  men  who  origi 
nated  and  established  the  principles,  while  they  illustrated 
the  spirit  of  America  and  her  political  aspirations,  form  the 
most  authentic  and  interesting  sources  of  knowledge.  Through 
these  the  historical  and  social  development  of  the  country 
may  be  not  only  understood,  but  felt  as  a  conscious  experi 
ence  and  vital  power.  The  best  modern  statesmen  have 
sought  and  found  therein  auspicious  inspiration  —  from 
Brougham  in  the  days  of  his  liberal  proclivities,  to  Cavour 
at  the  summit  of  national  success.  The  lives  and  writings 
of  Washington,  Franklin,  Otis,  Marshall,  Jay,  Hamilton, 
Adams,  Jefferson,  Morris,  Quincy,  Sullivan,  and  others  of 
the  Revolutionary  era ;  and,  of  a  later,  Livingston,  Clinton, 
Clay,  Webster,  Calhoun,  Jackson,*  and  other  civic  leaders, 

*  "  The  Writings  of  George  Washington,"  being  his  correspondence, 
addresses,  messages,  and  other  papers,  official  and  private,  selected  and  pub 
lished  from  the  original  manuscripts,  with  a  Life  of  the  Author,  notes  and 
illustrations,  by  Jared  Sparks,  12  vols.  8vo.,  Boston,  1855. — "  'Far  across  the 
ocean,  if  we  may  credit  the  Sibylline  books,  and  after  many  ages,  an  exten 
sive  and  rich  continent  will  be  discovered,  and  in  it  will  arise  a  hero,  wise  and 
brave,  who,  by  his  counsel  and  arms,  will  deliver  his  country  from  the  slavery 
by  which  she  was  oppressed.  This  shall  he  do  under  favorable  auspices.  And 
oh  !  how  much  more  adorable  will  he  be  than  our  Brutus  and  Camillus.'  This 


AMERICAN  TRAVELLERS  AND   WRITERS.  425 

reveal  the  principles  of  our  institutions  in  their  normal,  an 
tagonistic,  and  practical  relations.  These  men  incarnate 
them,  and  their  words  illustrate  and  enforce  what  their  ex 
ample  embodied.  Representative  men,  their  country's  best 
aims  and  elemental  force  and  instincts  find  adequate  and 
memorable  expression  in  their  speeches,  correspondence,  con 
troversies,  policy,  and  character ;  and  whosoever  grasps  and 
analyzes  these,  is  alone  equipped  and  authorized  to  comment 
intelligently  on  America  as  a  political  entity  and  a  social  ex 
periment.  "  Let  the  people  of  the  United  States,"  writes 
Guizot,  tc  ever  hold  in  grateful  remembrance  the  leading  men 
of  that  generation  which  achieved  their  independence  and 
founded  their  Government ;  influential  by  their  property, 
talent,  or  character ;  faithful  to  ancient  virtues,  yet  friendly 
to  modern  improvement ;  sensible  to  the  splendid  advantages 

prediction  was  known  to  Accius  the  poet,  who,  in  his  '  Nyctegresia,'  embel 
lished  it  with  the  ornaments  of  poetry." — Cicero,  Frag.  XV.,  Mail  ed.,  p.  52. 

"  The  Life  of  George  Washington,"  by  Washington  Irving,  New  York, 
1860. 

"  The  Works  of  Benjamin  Franklin,"  with  notes,  and  a  Life  of  the  Au 
thor,  by  Jared  Sparks,  in  10  vols.  8vo.,  Boston,  1856. 

"  Life  and  Works  of  John  Adams,"  by  his  grandson,  Charles  Francis 
Adams,  9  vols.  8vo.,  Boston,  1851-'60. 

"  Works  of  Alexander  Hamilton,"  comprising  his  correspondence  and  his 
official  and  political  writings,  7  vols.  8vo.,  New  York,  1851. 

"  The  Life  of  Gouverneur  Morris,"  \vith  selections  from  his  correspond 
ence,  &c.,  edited  by  Jared  Sparks,  3  vols.  8vo.,  Boston,  1852. 

"  The  Public  Men  of  the  Revolution,"  including  events  from  the  Peace  of 
1783  to  the  Peace  of  1815,  by  William  Sullivan,  Philadelphia,  1847. 

"  Memoir  of  the  Life  of  Josiah  Quincy,  Jr.,"  Boston,  1825. 

"  Life  of  John  Jay,  with  Selections  from  his  Correspondence,"  by  William 
Jay,  New  York,  1833. 

Tudor's  "Life  of  Otis;"  Amory's  "Life  of  Sullivan;"  Hunt's  "Life  of 
Livingston ;  "  Wirt's  "  Life  of  Patrick  Henry  ;  "  Austin's  "  Life  of  Gerry  ;  " 
Wheaton's  "  Life  of  Pinckney  ;  "  Parton's  "  Life  of  Jackson  ;  "  Kennedy's 
"Life  of  Wirt;"  The  Naval  Biographies  of  Cooper  and  Mackenzie; 
"  Lives  of  American  Merchants,"  edited  by  freeman  Hunt ;  "  Life  of  Chief 
Justice  Story,"  by  his  son ;  Sparks's  series  of  American  Biographies ;  the 
Lives  of  Schuyler.  Rittenhouse,  Fulton,  Madison,  Reed,  Clay,  Calhoun,  &c. ; 
and  the  historical  and  biographical  contributions  of  William  L.  Stone,  Branta 
Mayer,  George  W.  Greene,  Frothingham,  Headley,  Moore,  and  others.  : 


426  AMERICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

of  civilization,  and  yet  attached  to  simplicity  of  manners ; 
high  toned  in  their  feelings,  but  of  modest  minds,  at  the  same 
time  ambitious  and  prudent  in  their  impulses ;  men  of  rare 
endowments,  who  expected  much  from  humanity,  without 
presuming  too  much  upon  themselves."  The  later  generation 
of  statesmen  elaborated  the  system  and  illustrated  the  prin 
ciples  of  these  peerless  men ;  and  the  combined  writings  and 
memoirs  of  both  constitute  an  essential  and  complete  expres 
sion  and  indication  of  all  the  vital? ideas  and  political  sympa 
thies  of  which  America  has  been  the  free  arena.  To  these 
personal  data,  so  emphatic  and  illustrious,  the  philosophic  in 
quirer  will  add  the  history  of  the  country,  whether  unfolded 
with  bold  generalizations  and  effective  rhetoric,  and  through 
extensive  and  minute  research,  as  by  Bancroft,  tersely  chroni 
cled  by  Hildreth,  drawn  from  personal  observation  by  Kam- 
say,  or  treated  in  special  phases  by  Curtis,  Cooper,  Dunlap, 
Lossing,  Sparks,  and  others.* 

The  local  histories,  also,  are  in  many  instances  full  of  im 
portant  details  and  illustrative  principles  :  such  are  Theodore 
Irving's  "  Conquest  of  Florida,"  Palfrey's  "  New  England," 
Belknap's  "  New  Hampshire,"  Williams's  "  Vermont,"  Ar 
nold's  "Rhode  Island,"  Dwight's  "Connecticut,"  Dr.  Hawks's 
"  North  Carolina,"  Butler's  "  Kentucky,"  Drake's  "  Boston," 
Bolton's  "  Westchester  County,"  and  the  contributions  of  the 
religious  annals  of  the  country  in  the  history  of  Methodism 

*  Cooper's  "  Naval  History  of  the  United  States  ;  "  Curtis's  "  History  of 
the  Constitution  ;"  Parkman's  "Conspiracy  of  Pontiac."  "  Dunlap's  "  His 
tory  of  the  American  Theatre,  and  of  the  Arts  of  Design  in  the  United  States." 
Lossing's  "  Field  Book  of  the  Revolution." 

"  Thirty  Years'  View ;  or,  A  History  of  the  Workings  of  the  American 
Government  for  Thirty  Years,  from  1820  to  1850,"  by  Thomas  H.  Benton. 

"  The  Writings  of  Thomas  Jefferson,"  published  from  original  manu 
scripts,  by  order  of  Congress,  Washington,  1853,  9  vols.  8vo. 

"  The  Works  of  Daniel  Webster,"  Boston,  1857,  6  vols.  8vo. 

"  Correspondence  of  the  American  Revolution,"  edited  by  Sparks. 

"  Diplomacy  of  the  Revolution,"  by  W.  H.  Trescott. 

"  Correspondence  and  Speeches  of  Henry  Clay,"  edited  by  C.  Colton,  New 
York,  3  vols.  Svo.,  1851. 

Upham's  "  Salem  Witchcraft." 

Thatcher's  "  Military  Journal  during  the  Revolution." 


AMERICAN  TEAVELLEES   AND   WEITEES.  427 

by  Abel  Stevens,  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  by  Hodge, 
of  Universalism  by  Whittemore,  of  Episcopacy  by  Meade, 
Hawks,  and  Jarvis ;  and  the  history  of  manufactures,  inven 
tions,  and  educational  institutions  and  public  charities. 

It  is  instructive  to  consult  the  county  and  town  histories 
of  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States,  because  they  unfold  in 
detail  the  process  and  method  of  municipal  organization,  the 
means  of  popular  education,  the  initiation  of  manufacturing 
and  commercial  enterprise,  and  the  religious  and  social 
arrangements,  which  have  built  up  small  and  isolated  com 
munities  into  flourishing  cities ;  and,  if  we  compare  the 
French  and  Spanish  accounts  of  Florida  and  Louisiana  with 
the  American,  a  still  more  striking  illustration  is  afforded  of 
the  practical  superiority  of  free  institutions.  One  of  the 
latest  historians  of  the  latter  State  (where  secession  was  so 
lately  rampant)  closes  his  narrative,  in  allusion  to  the  foreign 
colonial  rule,  thus : 

"  There  were  none  of  those  associations — not  a  link  of  that  mys 
tic  chain  connecting  the  present  with  the  past — which  produce  an 
attachment  to  locality.  It  was  not  when  a  poor  colony,  and  when 
given  away  like  a  farm,  that  she  prospered.  This  miracle  was  to  be 
the  consequence  of  the  apparition  of  a  banner  which  was  not  in 
existence  at  the  time,  which  was  to  be  the  labarum  of  the  advent  of 
liberty,  the  harbinger  of  the  regeneration  of  nations,  and  which  was 
to  form  so  important  an  era  in  the  history  of  mankind."  * 

Specific  information  is  now  attainable  through  a  series  of 
standard  works  of  reference.  Authentic  statistical  and  offi 
cial  information  in  regard  to  North  America  may  be  gleaned 
from  the  American  Almanac,  Hunt's  Merchant's  Magazine, 
and  Colton's  "  Atlas."  The  natural  resources,  geographical 
and  political  history,  •  and  remarkable  public  characters  of 
each  State  and  section  are  thoroughly  chronicled  in  the 
"  New  American  Cyclopaedia,"  a  work  specially  valuable  for 
its  scientific  and  biographical  data.  Putnam's  "American 
Facts "  is  a  copious  and  authentic  work.  The  literary  and 

*  Gayarre's  "  History  of  Louisiana," 


428  AMERICA  AND  HER  COMMENTATORS. 

educational  history  of  the  country  is  elaborately  unfolded  in 
Duyckinck's  "  Cyclopaedia  of  American  Literature."  * 

General  literature  offers  a  various  and  creditable  cata 
logue  of  American  works,  wherein  independence  of  investiga 
tion  or  originality  of  thought  attests  the  impulse  which  free 
institutions  give  to  private  culture.  In  the  department  of 
pure  literary  labor,  where  faithful  mastery  of  subjects  for 
illustration  must  be  sought  afar,  and  with  constant  labor  and 
care,  the  histories  of  Prescott,  Ticknor,  and  Motley  may  be 
cited  as  of  standard  European  interest  and  value.  In  juridi 
cal  literature,  Marshall,  Kent,  Story,  Wheatou,  Livingston, 
Webster,  and  other  names  are  of  established  authority ;  and 
while,  in  the  philosophy  of  our  vernacular,  Marsh,  and,  in  its 
lexicography,  Webster  and  Worcester,  have  achieved  signal 
triumphs,  the  number  and  excellence  of  American  educa 
tional  manuals  are  proverbial.  Of  the  political  treatises,  the 

*  Niles' s  "  Weekly  Register  "  commenced  being  published  September  7, 
1811,  and  ended  June  27,  1849;  making,  in  all,  76  volumes.  The  first  50 
volumes  were  edited  by  Hezekiah  Niles ;  vols.  51  to  57  were  edited  by 
William  Ogden  Niles.  Jeremiah  Hough  bought  out,  and  was  editor  to  the 
end  of  vol.  73.  The  publication  was  then  suspended  for  one  year,  and  re 
commenced,  and  ended  with  the  editorship  of  George  Beattie,  in  1849. 
This  information  I  have  from  the  celebrated  bibliopolist  of  periodical  litera 
ture,  S.  G.  Dceth,  late  of  Georgetown,  D.  C.,  who  was  the  highest  authority 
on  subjects  of  this  kind. —  Gowans*  Catalogue. 

"American  Facts,  Notes,  and  Statistics  relative  to  the  Government,  Re 
sources,  &c.,  of  the  United  States,"  by  George  P.  Putnam,  8vo.,  portrait  of 
Washington,  and  map,  London,  1845. 

"American  Almanac  and  Repository  of  Useful  Knowledge,"  from  1830  to 
1860,  both  inclusive,  forming  a  complete  set,  paper  covers,  Boston,  1830-'60. 
— "  The  abovenamed  series  of  volumes  forms  the  only  consecutive  annals  of 
the  United  States  for  the  last  thirty-one  years.  They  possess  intrinsic  value 
to  all  who  would  desire  accurate  information  concerning  the  country  during 
that  period." 

"National  Almanac,"  Philadelphia,  1863-'4. 

"  The  Census  of  the  United  States ; "  Reports  of  the  Patent  Office  and 
Agricultural  Bureau. 

"  New  American  Cyclopaedia :  A  Popular  Dictionary  of  General  Knowl 
edge,"  edited  by  George  Ripley  and  Charles  A.  Dana,  in  16  vols.,  New  York, 
D.  Appleton  &  Co.,  1862. 

"  Cyclopaedia  of  American  Literature,"  by  E.  A.  and  G.  L.  Duyckinck,  2 
vols.,  New  York,  Charles  Scribner,  1855. 


AMERICAN  TEAVELLEKS   AND   WEITEES.  429 

Federalist  *  has  become  a  classic  memorial  of  the  foundation 
of  the  American  Government.  The  prescience  and  per 
spicacity  as  well  as  comprehensiveness  of  the  writers  thereof 
have  been  signally  demonstrated  by  the  whole  history  of 
the  Slaveholders'  Rebellion ;  and  the  political  discussion  inci 
dent  to  its  suppression. 

The  archives  of  American  oratory  contain,  for  the  saga 
cious  explorer,  clear  reflections  of  and  genuine  emanations 
from  the  life,  the  discipline,  and  the  physical  and  moral  con 
ditions  peculiar  to  the  country.  Indeed,  to  understand  how 
democratic  institutions  act  on  individual  minds,  and  in  what 
light  the  duties  of  the  citizen  are  viewed  by  select  intelli 
gences,  the  foreign  inquirer  should  become  familiar  with  the 
eloquence  of  Otis,  Henry,  Rutledge,  Marshall,  Adams,  Clay, 
Ames,  Hamilton,  Webster,  and  Everett. 

It  requires  no  great  effort  of  the  imagination  to  behold  in 
the  distant  future  a  literary  apotheosis  for  the  orations  of 
Daniel  Webster,  at  Bunker  Hill,  Plymouth,  and  in  the  Sen 
ate,  akin  to  that  which  has  rendered  those  of  Cicero  patriotic 
classics  for  all  time.  Even  we  of  the  present  generation 
seem  to  hear  the  oracle  of  history  as  well  as  of  eloquence, 
when  we  revert,  in  the  midst  of  the  base  mutiny  that  rends 
the  Republic,  to  the  pregnant  and  prescient  defence  of  the 
Union  which  identifies  Webster's  name  and  fame  with  the 
glory  and  love  of  his  country. 

Everett's  Addresses,  which  form  three  substantial  octavo 
volumes,!  and  will  doubtless  extend  to  four,  constitute  the 
most  complete  and  eloquent  record  of  the  social  and  political 
development  of  our  country.  Their  scope  and  value,  in  this 
regard,  would  have  been  more  emphatically  acknowledged 
but  for  the  desultory  association  which  identifies  all  spoken 
history  and  criticism  with  temporary  occasions.  Yet,  when 
we  consider  that  these  discourses  were  studiously  prepared  to 

*  "  The  Federalist :  A  Collection  of  Essays  written  in  favor  of  the  New 

Constitution,  as  agreed  upon  by  the  Federal  Convention,  September  17,  1787." 

f  "  Orations  and  Speeches  on  Various  Occasions,"  3  vols.  8vo.,  Boston, 

1850. 


430  AMEKICA  AND   HEK  COMMENTATORS. 

celebrate  anniversaries  of  settlements  and  battles,  to  do  honor 
to  national  benefactors,  to  inaugurate  great  movements  in 
education  and  charity,  being  thus  equally  commemorative  of 
the  past  and  indicative  of  the  future,  it  is  obvious  that  their 
subjects  include  the  most  salient  facts  and  inferences  of  our 
origin,  growth,  and  tendencies  as  a  people,  and  bring  attrac 
tively  into  view  many  local  and  personal  incidents  that  other 
wise  would  have  been  overlooked.  Accordingly,  apart  from 
any  rhetorical  merit,  we  know  of  no  single  work  which  will 
convey  to  an  intelligent  foreigner,  a  better  general  idea  of  the 
memorable  phases  of  our  national  development,  and  the  prin 
ciples  whereby  it  has  been  inspired,  sustained,  modified,  and 
characterized,  than  the  orations  and  speeches  of  Edward 
Everett.* 

Indeed,  to  specify  the  kind  and  degree  of  information  and 
illustration  which  native  writers  have  contributed,  would  re 
quire  an  elaborate  critical  essay.  They  form  a  mine  of  sug 
gestive  knowledge  or  subtile  revelation  to  those  who  have  the 
insight  and  sympathy  to  seek  from  original  sources,  the  truth 
of  history,  nature,  and  character  as  regards  this  country. 
They  are,  to  the  mass  of  American  Travels,  what  the  finished 
picture  is  to  the  desultory  series  of  offhand  sketches  from 
nature  ;  or  what  the  musical  composition  is  to  the  casual  airs 
or  keynote  of  the  maestro.  However  the  authenticity  of 
Cooper's  aboriginal  ideals  may  be  questioned,  or  with  what 
ever  justice  his  nautical  descriptions  may  be  criticized,  no 
true  observer  of  nature,  familiar  with  the  scenes  of  his  sto 
ries,  can  fail  to  recognize  a  minute  and  conscientious  limner 
of  local  and  natural  features  and  facts  in  his  pictures  of  the 
woods  and  waters  of  his  native  land.  No  American  reader  of 
sensibility  and  perception  can  ponder  the  poems  of  Bryant,  in  a 
foreign  land,  without  a  new,  vivid,  and  grateful  consciousness 
of  the  pure  and  truthful  mirror  his  verse  affords,  not  only  to 
the  forms,  hues,  and  phenomena,  but  to  the  very  spirit  of 

*  A  glance  at  the  titles  of  these  Addresses  will  indicate  how  completely 
they  cover  the  entire  range  of  American  subjects — historical,  educational, 
economical,  and  social. 


AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  431 

American  seasons  and  scenery.  There  is  an  undercurrent  of 
pathos  and  psychology  in  the  New  England  romances  of 
Hawthorne,  which  seizes  on  the  inmost  soul  of  her  primitive 
life,  and  philosophically  explains  the  normal  traits  of  her 
actual  character.  It  has  been  objected  to  his  writings,  that, 
with  all  their  artistic  truth  and  delicacy,  they  are  morbid  in 
tone.  This  is  the  natural  consequence  of  the  element  to 
which  we  refer.  Analysis  like  his,  implies  going  beneath  the 
vital  superficies  to  the  inward  function ;  and  what  such  an 
experiment  loses  in  art,  it  gains  in  metaphysical  power.  The 
"  Blithedale  Romance  "  illustrates  the  enthusiasm  for  reform 
and  of  transcendentalism  in  New  England.  "  The  House 
of  the  Seven  Gables  "  and  "  Twice-Told  Tales  "  contain  the 
psychological  essence  of  primitive  New  England  life.  In  the 
"  Scarlet  Letter  "  there  is  a  profound  though  indirect  protest 
against  the  inhumanity  of  Puritanism,  as  it  was  developed  in 
the  old  Bay  State — a  demonstration  of  the  unchristian  system 
and  sentiment  that  fail  to  temper  justice  with  mercy,  and  to 
recognize  the  blessed  efficiency  of  forgiveness.  No  native 
writer  has  gone  so  near  the  latent  significance  of  New  Eng-  • 
land  life,  in  its  moral  interest  and  historical  relations. 

Numerous,  also,  are  the  less  finished  and  more  casual  but 
often  striking  and  true  glimpses  of  the  primitive  character  or 
normal  traits  of  life,  manners,  and  natural  influences  in  dif 
ferent  sections  and  at  various  periods,  which  the  published  cor 
respondence,  the  memoirs  and  reminiscences,  and  the  literary 
efforts  of  our  public  men,  scholars,  and  patriotic  citizens, 
yield.  The  unartistic  but  deeply  wrought  romance  of  "  Mar 
garet,"  by  Judd,  is  a  kind  of  Balzac  anatomy  and  analysis  of 
a  once  singular  human  experience  in  the  Eastern  States. 
The  exquisite  and  original  illustrations  with  which  this  remark 
able  story  inspired  the  pencil  of  Darley,  are  its  best  praise. 

Many  of  the  historical  episodes,  the  transition  eras,  and 
much  of  the  local  character  and  scenery  and  life  of  the  coun 
try,  have  been  pictured  with  memorable  truth  and  vividness 
by  our  romance  writers.  Irving  and  Paulding  have  thus 
illustrated  New  York  colonial  times,  the  legends  and  the  pic- 


432  AMERICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

turesque  scenes  as  well  as  social  traits  of  the  State ;  Simms 
those  of  the  South ;  Kennedy  has  thus  illustrated  Virginia ; 
Dr.  Bird,  Kentucky ;  Hoffman,  the  Valley  of  the  Mohawk ; 
Miss  Sedgwick,  primitive  New  England;  Mrs.  Stowe,  Sar 
gent,  Trowbridge,  and  others,  slavery ;  Flint,  the  Valley  of 
the  Mississippi ;  McConnell,  Texas ;  Mayne  Reid,  frontier 
life ;  Major  Winthrop,  the  Rocky  Mountains  ;  Miss  Warner, 
Miss  Chesebro',  and  others  of  their  sex,  the  rural  and  charac 
teristic  life  of  the  Eastern  States  ;  and  we  might  indefinitely 
extend  the  catalogue.  Nor  should  the  peculiar  veins  of 
humor  indigenous  to  the  country  be  forgotten  as  character 
istic  of  the  people — its  Western,  Yankee,  negro,  and  Dutch 
phases ;  nor  the  fact  be  ignored  that,  coincident  with  this  and 
similar  rude  and  extravagant  development,  we  have  the  fin 
ished  romances  of  Ware  and  Poe,  and  the  refined  critical  and 
aesthetic  writings  of  Dana,  Hillhouse,  Allston,  Greenough, 
and  Madame  d'Ossoli,  and  the  bold  humanitarian  speculations 
of  Emerson,  Dewey,  James,  Calvert,  and  others.  Personal 
memoirs  and  reminiscences  are  a  rich  mine  of  facts  and  influ- 
ences,  whereby  the  true  life  and  significance  of  America  may 
be  realized.  Of  the  former,  such  biographies  as  those  of  the 
heroes  of  our  history  conserved  in  the  series  of  Sparks ;  * 
such  lives  as  those  of  Buckminster  and  Chief- Justice  Parsons, 
of  Irving  and  Prescott,  indirectly  exhibit  the  spirit  of  our 
institutions  and  society ;  while  curious  details  thereof  abound 
in  such  memoirs  as  Graydon's,  and  such  recollections  as 
Watson  of  Philadelphia,  Manlius  Sargent  and  Buckingham 
of  Boston,  and  Dr.  Francis  of  New  York,  and  Thomas, 
Alden,  Goodrich,  Valentine,  and  the  "  Croakers,"  have  re- 
corded.f 

*  Sparks's  "  American  Biography,"  containing  the  Lives  of  Alexander 
Wilson,  Captain  John  Smith,  John  Stark,  Brockden  Brown,  General  Mont 
gomery,  and  Ethan  Allen,  2  vols.  12mo.,  Boston,  1834. 

Sparks's  "American  Biography,"  first  series,  10  vols.,  second  series,  15 
vols.,  in  all,  25  vols.  12mo.,  Boston,  1834-'50. 

f  Watson's  "Annals;"  "Dealings  with  the  Dead,"  by  an  Old  Sexton; 
Buckingham's  "  Eecollections  of  Editorial  Life ; "  "  Old  New  York,"  by  J.  W. 


\ 

AMERICAN   TRAVELLERS   AND   WRITERS.  433 

Such  works  preserve  social  incidents  and  vigorous  chap 
ters  of  individual  experience,  wherein  the  philosopher  will 
discover  salient  evidences  of  what  is  peculiar  to  this  land  and 
life  ;  and  the  poet  may  sometimes  learn  what  were  the  con 
servative  elements  that  moulded  the  mental  and  kept  alive 
the  emotional  character,  the  traits  of  natural  scenery,  climate, 
and  domestic  love  and  duty,  as  well  as  the  struggles,  guides, 
and  glamours  through  and  by  which  here  grew  or  were 
grafted  whatsoever  of  originality  redeem  the  social  and  civic 
history  of  the  New  World.  Pamphlets,  newspapers,  and 
sermons,  ballads,  playbills,  diaries  and  letters,  schoolbooks, 
holidays,  old  houses,  gardens,  portraits,  and  costumes,  to  the 
eye  of  science  and  the  heart  of  wisdom,  each  and  all  convey 
their  lesson  of  character,  history,  and  life. 

We  have  spoken  of  Cooper  in  prose,  and  Bryant  in  verse, 
as  standard  authorities  in  the  description  and  illustration  of 
American  scenery ;  but,  throughout  our  native  literature,  the 
most  graphic  pictures  of  individual  landscapes,  of  the  sea 
sons  in  the  Western  world,  and  the  most  glowing  exhibition 
of  the  traits  and  triumphs  of  life,  character,  and  history, 
may  be  found  by  the  discerning  and  sympathetic  reader. 
The  spirit  of  reform,  of  labor,  of  freedom,  and  of  faith,  as 
well  as  the  characteristics  of  nature  as  here  developed,  have 
been  truly  and  melodiously  recorded  by  Whittier  and  Holmes, 
by  Dana  and  Pierpont,  by  Sprague  and  Street,  by  Longfel 
low  and  Lowell,  by  Drake,  Percival,  Halleck,  and  a  score  of 
other  bards.  Theology,  as  intensified  or  chastened  by  the 
social  life  and  political  institutions  of  the  country,  is  elabo 
rated  in  the  writings  of  Jonathan  Edwards,  Cotton,  Mayhew, 
Stiles,  Dwight,  Witherspoon,  Emmons,  White,  Mason,  Hop 
kins,  Miller,  Woods,  Alexander,  Breckenridge,  Wayland, 

Francis,  M.  D.  ;  Thatcher's  "  Military  Journal ;  "  Thomas's  "  History  of  Print 
ing  in  America ;  "  Alden's  "  Collection  of  American  Epitaphs  ;  "  "  Recollec 
tions  of  a  Lifetime,"  by  S.  G.  Goodrich  ;  "  Manuals  of  the  Common  Council 
of  New  York,"  by  D.  T.  Valentine ;  "  The  Croakers,"  by  J.  R.  Drake  and 
Fitz  Greene  Halleck  (annotated),  first  complete  edition,  printed  by  the  Brad 
ford  Club,  New  York,  1860. 
19 


434  AMERICA   AJSTD    HEK   COMMENTATORS. 

Murray,  Parks,  Walker,  Bethune,  Chapin,  Hodge,  Bushnell, 
Bush,  Channing,  Dewey,  Parker,  and  many  other  representa 
tive  men  ;  and  its  every  dogma  and  modification  through  free 
dom,  conservatism,  and  speculation,  exhibited  in  the  published 
discourses  of  these  and  other  of  the  leading  clergy  of  all  de 
nominations,  whose  biographies,*  also,  written  by  Dr.  Sprague 
and  others,  incidentally  reveal  the  most  interesting  and  charac 
teristic  details  of  clerical  and  parish  life  as  well  as  domestic 
traits.  To  appreciate  intimately  the  picturesque,  social,  or  tra 
ditional  local  features  of  the  country,  we  have  a  group  of  authen 
tic  and  graceful  or  vigorous  and  sympathetic  writers,  who  have 
sketched  the  scenery  and  life  of  the  land  with  memorable 
emphasis  :  Brown,  Dennie,  Tudor,  Wirt,  Irving,  and  Wilson 
have  been  succeeded  by  Audubon,  Kennedy,  Fay,  Longfel 
low,  Hoffman,  Sands,  Willis,  Curtis,  Mitchell,  Street,  Prime, 
Ellet,  Poe,  Neal,  Elliot,  Hammond,  Lowell,  Shelton,  Mil- 
burn,  Thorpe,  Baldwin,  Cozzens,  Kettell,  Bard,  Mackie, 
Headley,  Parkman,  Mrs.  Gilman,  Starr  King,  Strothers,  Tay 
lor,  Webber,  the  Countess  d'Ossoli,  Whitehead,  Kimball, 
Holland,  Lanman,  Mrs.  Childs,  Thoreau,  Higginson,  Miss 
Cooper,  Dr.  Holmes,  and  many  others.f 

Perhaps  there  is  no  class  of  books  more  characteristic  of 
the  American  mind  than  the  numerous  records  of  modern 
exploration  and  travel.  Herein  even  British  critics  acknowl 
edge  a  peculiar  freshness  and  vigor ;  and  this  is  chiefly  owing 
to  the  independent  point  of  view,  the  natural  spirit  of  ad 
venture,  and  facility  of  adaptation  incident  to  the  freedom, 
self-reliance,  and  elasticity  of  temper  fostered  by  our  institu- 

*  "Annals  of  the  American  Pulpit,"  by  William  B.  Sprague,  D.  D., 
0  vols.  8vo.,  New  York,  1857. 

f  Among  the  graphic  landscapes,  portraits,  and  incidents  thus  eliminated 
from  life  and  observation  by  these  writers,  we  may  mention,  as  significant  and 
illustrative,  the  American  papers  in  "The  Sketch  Book"  and  "Idle  Man," 
"Kavanagh,"  "Letters  from  Under  a  Bridge,"  "Up  the  River,"  "Woods 
and  Waters,"  "The  Adirondack,"  "Rural  Letters,"  "The  Bee  Hunter," 
"The  Axe,  Rifle,  and  Saddle  Bags,"  "My  Farm  of  Edgewood,"  "Wild 
Scenes  of  the  Forest  and  Prairie,"  "  Lotus  Eating,"  "  A  Summer  Tour  to  the 
Lakes,"  "  The  White  Mountains,"  "  At  Home  and  Abroad,"  "  Fireside  Trav- 


AMERICAN    TRAVELLERS    AND   WRITERS.  435 

tions  and  social  discipline.  Europe  kindles  the  enthusiasm, 
Central  America  excit^|  the  speculative  hardihood,  and  the 
Arctic  regions  inspire  the  adventurous  heroism  of  our  coun 
trymen.  What  they  see  they  know  how  to  describe,  and 
what  they  feel  they  can  express  with  courage  and  animation ; 
so  that,  in  the  memorials  of  other  lands,  the  native  mind 
often  reflects  itself  with  singular  force  and  fervor.*  He 
would  miss  a  great  source  of  knowledge,  who,  intent  upon 
seizing  the  true  significance  of  American  life  and  character, 
or  even  the  influences  of  nature  and  government,  of  trade 
and  travel,  should  ignore  the  journalism  of  the  country, 
wherein  the  immediate  currents  of  opinion,  tendencies  of 
society,  and  tone  of  feeling,  both  radical  and  conservative, 
reckless  and  disciplined,  find  crude  and  casual  yet  authentic 
utterance. 

Freneau's  ballads  should  not  be  thought  beneath  the  no 
tice  of  the  candid  investigator,  nor  even  Barlow's  "  Hasty 
Pudding ; "  nor  can  the  historical  student  safely  neglect  the 
aboriginal  eloquence  of  Red  Jacket  and  Tecumseh,  nor  the 
early  periodical  literature  initiated  by  Dennie.  He  may  con 
sult  with  benefit  the  first  scientific  essays  of  Catesby,  Ram 
say,  Williamson,  Golden,  and  Mitchell ;  Espy  and  Redfield  on 

els,"  "  Walden,  or  Life  in  the  Woods,"  "  A  Week  on  the  Concord  and  Mer- 
rimac  Rivers,"  "The  Moravian  Settlement  at  Bethlehem,  Pa.,"  "Carolina 
Sports,"  "  Hunting  Adventures  in  the  Northern  Wilds,"  "  Excursions  in 
Field  and  Forest,"  "Life  in  the  Open  Air,"  "At  Home  and  Abroad," 
"  Blackwater  Chronicle,"  "  Out-of-Door  Papers,"  "  Letters  from  New  York," 
"  Wild  Sports  of  the  South,"  "  Rural  Hours,"  "  Letters  from  the  Alleghany 
Mountains,"  "The  Oregon  Trail,"  "Poetry  of  Travel  in  New  England," 
"  Autocrat  of  the  Breakfast  Table,"  "  From  Cape  Cod  to  the  Tropics,  "  &c. 

*  Indirectly,  the  literature  of  America  illustrates  the  original  enterprise 
that,  with  free  and  bold  aspiration,  seeks  new  and  laborious  fields  of  research 
or  creation :  as  instances  of  which,  in  the  most  diverse  spheres,  may  be  noted 
the  translation  of  the  great  work  of  Laplace,  by  Bowditch,  Dr.  Robinson's 
"  Biblical  Researches  in  Palestine,"  Kane's  "  Arctic  Expedition,"  Allibone's 
"  Dictionary  of  Authors,"  that  picturesque  memorial  of  the  Fur  Trade, 
Irving's  "  Astoria,"  and  Dr.  Rush  on  the  "  Human  Voice  ;  "  while  the  litera 
ture  of  Travel  in  our  vernacular  has  been  enriched  by  the  contributions  of 
Stephens,  Brace,  Fletcher,  Wise,  Melville,  Mackenzie,  Dana,  Mayo,  and 
Taylor. 


436  AMERICA  AND  HEK   COMMENTATORS. 

Climatology  ;  Hitchcock  and  Rogers  on  Geology ;  Barton, 
Nuttall,  arid  Grey  and  Torrey  on  Botany ;  Davis,  Squier,  and 
others  on  the  Mounds  ;  Schoolcraft  on  the  aborigines;  Carey 
on  economical  subjects  ;  the  newspaper  and  diary  literature, 
familiar  letters,  and  controversial  pamphlets,  which  more  than 
highly  finished  productions  bear  the  fresh  stamp  of  civil  and 
social  life,  and  have  been  wisely  collected  by  local  and  State 
associations,  to  facilitate  inquiries  into  the  past  of  America.* 
Nor  have  our  institutions  and  social  tendencies  lacked  the 
highest  native  criticism.  One  of  the  most  consistent,  lucid, 
and  able  ethical  authors  in  the  language — William  Ellery 
Channing — has  left,  in  his  writings,!  the  most  eloquent  pro 
tests  and  appeals,  based  on  the  application  of  religion  and 
philosophy  to  American  life,  character,  and  politics.  No 
writer  has  more  perfectly  demonstrated  the  absolute  wrong 
and  the  inevitable  consequences  of  slavery  ;  and,  at  the  same 
time,  no  social  reformer  has  more  justly  appreciated  the 
claims,  difficulties,  and  duties  of  the  slaveholder.  We  seek 
in  vain  among  the  most  renowned  foreign  critics  of  our 
national  character  for  a  more  unsparing,  earnest,  yet  humane 
analyst.  Channing  rebuked  emphatically  "the  bigotry  of 
republicanism ; "  continually  pointed  out  the  inadequacy  of 
government,  in  itself,  to  elevate  and  mould  society;  he 
warned  his  countrymen,  in  memorable  terms,  against  the 
tyranny  of  public  opinion,  and  advocated  the  rights,  respon 
sibilities,  and  mission  of  the  individual.  When  slavery  ex 
tension  was  sought  through  the  annexation  of  Texas  ;  when 
the  repudiation  of  State  debts  drew  obloquy  upon  the  na 
tional  honor ;  when  popular  vengeance  burned  a  Roman 

*  Among  the  early  pamphleteers  were  James  Otis  (1725-'83),  Josiah 
Quincy,  Jr.  (1744-'75),  John  Dickinson  (1732-1808);  Joseph  Galloway 
(1730-1803),  a  Tory  writer;  Richard  Henry  Lee  (l732-'94),  Arthur  Lee 
(1740-'92),  William  Livingston  (1723-'90),  William  Henry  Drayton  (1742- 
'99),  John  Adams  (1735-1826),  Thomas  Jefferson  (1743-1826),  and  Timothy 
Pickering  (1748-1829). 

f  "Complete  Works,"  with  an  Introduction,  6  vols.  12mo.,  Boston,  1849. 

"  Memoirs  of,  by  W.  H.  Channing,"  3  vols.  12mo.,  Boston,  1843,  London, 
1848. 


AMERICAN   TKAVELLEES   AND   WKITEES.  437 

Catholic  convent,  and  sought  to  suppress  journals  that  pro 
mulgated  obnoxious  views  in  religion  and  politics — this  elo 
quent  friend  of  humanity  seized  the  opportunity  to  show 
how  essential  is  the  dependence  of  government,  order,  social 
progress,  and  peace  upon  Christianity ;  and  how,  in  the  last 
analysis,  the  individual  citizen  alone  could  sustain  and  con 
serve  the  freedom  and  the  faith  upon  which  human  society 
rests.  He  referred  great  public  questions  to  first  principles  ; 
solved  political  problems  by  spiritual  truths ;  recognized' 
human  rights  as  the  foundation  of  civic  rule ;  justice  as  the 
one  vital  element  of  government ;  and  made  his  hearers  and 
readers  feel  that  the  "  forms  of  liberty  do  not  constitute  its 
essence."  Were  we  to  select  a  single  illustration  of  the 
divine  possibilities  incident  to  free  institutions, — liberty  of 
conscience  and  of  the  press,  the  presence  of  nature  in  her 
most  grand  aspects  of  ocean,  forest,  and  heavens,  and  an 
equal  scope  for  social  and  personal  development, — considering 
these  national  privileges  in  their  influence  upon  intellectual 
development  and  religious  aspirations, — we  should  point  to  the 
example,  the  influence,  and  the  written  thought  of  Chan- 
ning  ;  for  therein  we  find  the  most  unfettered  expression  of 
private  conviction  united  to  the  deepest  sense  of  God  and 
humanity ;  the  freshest  expansion  of  freedom  combined  with 
the  most  profound  consciousness  of  individual  responsibility. 


CHAPTEE    XI. 

CONCLUSION. 

FOR  many  years  after  the  earlier  records  of  travel  in 
America,  the  local  and  social  traits  therein  described  lin 
gered ;  so  that  those  who  look  back  half  a  century,  find 
many  familiar  and  endeared  associations  revived  by  these 
casual  memorials  of  an  antecedent  period.  Two  principal 
agencies  have  caused  the  rapid  transition  in  outward  aspect 
and  social  conditions  which  make  the  present  and  the  past 
offer  so  great  a  contrast  even  within  the  space  of  an  average 
American  life — immigration,  and  locomotive  facilities.  The 
first  has,  in  a  brief  space,  quadrupled  the  population  of  cities, 
and  modified  its  character  by  a  foreign  element ;  and  the 
second,  by  bringing  the  suburban  and  interior  residents  con 
stantly  to  the  seaboard,  has  gradually  won  them  to  trafiic  and 
city  life.  What  was  individual  and  characteristic,  exclusive 
and  local  therein,  becomes  thus  either  changed  or  superseded. 
There  is  no  longer  the  reign  of  coteries ;  individualities  are 
lost  in  the  crowd ;  natives  of  old  descent  are  jostled  aside  in 
the  thoroughfare  ;  the  few  no  longer  form  public  opinion ; 
distinctions  are  generalized ;  the  days  of  the  one  great  states 
man,  preacher,  actor,  doctor,  merchant,  social  oracle,  and 
paramount  belle,  when  opinion,  intercourse,  and  character 
were  concentrated,  localized,  and  absolute,  have  passed  away ; 
and  the  repose,  the  moderation,  the  economy,  the  geniality 
and  dignity  of  the  past  are  often  lost  in  gregarious  progress 


CONCLUSION.  439 

and  prosperity.  A  venerable  reminiscent  may  lead  the  curious 
stranger  to  some  obscure  gable-roofed  house,  a  solitary  and 
decayed  tree,  or  border  relic  strangely  conserved  in  the  heart 
of  a  thriving  metropolis,  and  descant  on  the  time  when  these 
represented  isolated  centres  of  civilization.  Standing  in  a 
busy  mart,  he  may  recall  there  the  wilderness  of  his  youth, 
and,  before  an  old,  dignified  portrait  by  Copley,  lament  the 
fusion  of  social  life  and  the  bustle  of  modern  pretension  ;  or, 
dwelling  on  the  details  of  an  ancestral  letter,  argue  that,  if 
our  fathers  moved  slower,  they  felt  and  thought  more  and 
realized  life  better  than  their  descendants,  however  superior 
in  general  knowledge.  Except  for  the  purpose  of  literary  art 
and  historical  study,  however,  the  past  is  rarely  appreciated 
and  little  known ;  hence  the  curious  interest  and  value,  as 
local  illustrations,  of  some  of  these  forgotten  memorials  of 
how  places  looked  and  people  lived  before  the  days  of  steam, 
telegraphs,  and  penny  papers. 

Sir  Henry  Holland,  writes  Lockhart  to  Prescott,  "  on  his 
return  from  his  rapid  expedition,  declares,  except  friends,  he 
found  everything  so  changed,  that  your  country  seemed  to 
call  for  a  visit  once  in  five  years."  The  truth  is,  that,  owing 
to  the  transition  process  which  has  been  going  on  here  from 
the  day  that  the  first  conflict  occurred  between  European 
colonists  and  the  savage  inhabitants,  to  the  departure  of  the 
last  emigrant  train  from  the  civilized  border  to  the  passes 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains ;  and  owing,  also,  to  the  incessant 
influx  of  a  foreign  element  in  the  older  communities,  to  the 
results  of  popular  education  and  of  political  excitements  and 
vicissitudes,  there  is  no  country  in  the  world  in  regard  to 
which  it  is  so  difficult  to  generalize.  Exceptions  to  every 
rule,  modifications  of  every  special  feature  and  fact,  oblige 
the  candid  philosopher  to  reconsider  and  qualify  at  every 
step. 

One  vast  change  alone  in  the  conditions  and  prospects — 
political,  social,  and  economical — of  this  continent,  since  the 
records  of  the  early  travellers,  would  require  a  volume  to 
describe  and  discuss — the  increase  of  territory  and  of  immi- 


440  AMERICA  AND  HER  COMMENTATORS. 

gration,  with  the  liberal  character  of  our  naturalization  laws. 
Whole  communities  now  are  nationally  representative  ;  each 
people  finds  its  church,  its  fetes,  its  newspaper,  costume,  and 
habits  organized  in  America.  Every  convulsion  or  disaster 
abroad  brings  its  community  of  exiles  to  our  shores.  After 
the  French  Revolution,  nobles  and  people  flocked  hither ; 
after  the  massacre  at  St.  Domingo,  the  Creoles  who  escaped 
found  refuge  here ;  famine  sends  thousands  of  Irish  annually, 
and  in  the  West  is  a  vast  and  thrifty  German  population ; 
Hungarians  make  wine  in  Ohio  ;  Jenny  Lind  found  her  coun 
trymen  on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware ;  an  Italian  regiment 
was  organized  in  a  few  days,  when  New  York  summoned  her 
citizens  to  the  defence  of  the  Union ;  and  in  that  city,  the 
tokens  of  every  nationality  are  apparent — the  French  table 
d'hote^  the  Italian  caffe,  the  German  beer  garden,  image 
venders  from  Genoa  and  organ  grinders  from  Lucca,  theatres, 
journals,  churches,  music,  and  manners  peculiar  to  every  peo 
ple,  from  the  Jewish  synagogue  to  the  Roman  convent,  from 
the  prohibited  cavatina  to  the  local  dish,  from  the  foreign 
post-office  clerk  to  the  peculiar  festival  of  saint  or  municipal 
ity,  betoken  the  versatile  and  protected  emigration. 

It  is  when,  with  the  horrors  of  Spielberg  vivid  to  his 
fancy,  such  an  observer  beholds  the  industrious  and  cheerful 
Italian  exile  in  America ;  when  he  notes  the  Teutonic  crowd 
grouped  round  the  German  post-office  window  at  Chicago, 
and  thinks  of  the  privations  of  the  German  peasant  at  home ; 
when  he  watches  the  long  ranks  of  well-fed  and  hilarious 
Celts,  in  procession  on  St.  Patrick's  Day  in  New  York,  and 
compares  them  with  the  squalid  tenants  of  mud  cabins  in  Ire 
land  ;  when  he  listens  to  the  unchecked  eloquence  of  the 
Hungarian  refugee,  and  thinks  of  the  Austrian  censors  and 
sbirri  /  when  he  beholds  Sisters  of  Charity  thridding  the 
crowd  on  some  errand  of  love ;  placidly  clad  Friends  flock 
ing  to  yearly  meeting  ;  Fourier  communities  on  the  Western 
plains ;  here  a  cathedral,  there  a  synagogue ;  in  one  spot  a 
camp  meeting,  in  another  a  Unitarian  chapel ;  to-night  a 
political  caucus,  to-morrow  a  lyceum  lecture ;  here  rows  of 


CONCLUSION.  Ml 

carmen  devouring  the  daily  journal,  there  a  German  picnic ; 
now  a  celebration  of  the  birthday  of  Burns,  wherein  the 
songs  and  sympathies  of  Scotland  are  renewed,  and  now  a 
Gallic  ball,  the  anniversary  fete  of  St.  George,  the  complacent 
retrospections  of  Pilgrims'  Day,  or  the  rhetoric  and  roar  of 
the  Fourth  of  July ; — it  is  when  the  free  scope  and  the  mu 
tual  respect,  the  perfect  self-reliance  and  the  undisturbed 
individuality  of  all  these  opposite  demonstrations,  indicative 
of  an  eclectic,  tolerant,  self-subsistent  social  order,  combina 
tion,  and  utterance,  pass  before  the  senses  and  impress  the 
thought,  that  we  realize  what  has  been  done  and  is  doing  on 
this  continent  for  man  as  such  ;  and  the  unhallowed  devotion 
to  the  immediate,  the  constant  superficial  excitements,  the 
inharmonious  code  of  manners,  the  lawlessness  of  border  and 
the  extravagance  of  metropolitan  life,  the  feverish  ambition, 
the  license  of  the  press — all  the  blots  on  the  escutcheon  of 
the  Republic,  grow  insignificant  before  the  sublime  possibili 
ties  whereof  probity  and  beneficence,  tact  and  talent,  high 
impulse  and  adventurous  zeal  may  here  take  advantage. 

An  English  statesman,  on  a  visit  to  New  York,  expressed 
his  surprise  at  the  spirit  of  accommodation  and  the  absence 
of  violent  language  during  a  deadlock  of  vehicles  in  Broad 
way,  whence  his  conveyance  was  only  extricated  after  long 
delay.  The  fact  made  a  strong  impression,  from  its  con 
trast  to  the  brutal  language  and  manners  he  had  often  wit 
nessed,  under  like  circumstances,  in  London.  After  reflect 
ing  on  the  subject,  he  attributed  the  self-control  of  the  baffled 
carmen  to  self-respect.  "  They  hope  to  rise  in  life,"  he  said, 
"  and,  therefore,  have  a  motive  to  restrain  their  temper  and 
improve  their  character."  There  was  much  truth  and  sagacity 
in  this  reasoning.  An  artist  fresh  from  Europe  and  the  East 
observed  that  the  expression  of  self-reliance  was  astonishing 
in  the  American  physiognomy.  These  spontaneous  remarks 
of  two  strangers,  equally  intelligent  but  of  diverse  experi 
ence — the  one  a  social  and  the  other  an  artistic  philosopher — 
include  the  rationale  of  American  civilization.  The  prospect 
of  ameliorating  his  condition  elevates  man  in  his  own  esteem, 
19* 


44:2  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

while  self-dependence  gives  him  confidence ;  but  the  latter 
feeling  is  apt  to  make  him  indifferent  to  public  duty :  hence 
the  gross  municipal  corruption  and  legislative  abuses  which 
are  directly  owing  to  neglect  of  the  duties  of  the  citizen. 
Not  until  there  is  a  "  rising  of  the  people  "  in  the  cause  of 
national  reform,  as  earnest  and  unanimous  as  that  which  ral 
lied  to  the  national  defence,  may  we  hope  to  see  those  ame 
liorations,  the  need  of  which  all  acknowledge,  to  purify  the 
elective  franchise  and  the  judicial  corps,  make  the  centripe 
tal  force  in  political  affairs  dominate  the  centrifugal,  and 
bring  the  best  men  in  capacity  and  honor  to  the  highest 
positions. 

To  the  eye  and  mind  of  an  American,  when  disciplined 
by  study  and  foreign  observation,  while  the  incongruities  of 
our  social  and  physical  condition,  as  a  nation,  are  often  start 
ling,  the  elastic  temper,  the  unsubdued  confidence  of  the 
national  character,  reconcile  discrepancies  and  console  for 
deficiencies,  by  the  firm  conviction  that  these  are  destined  to 
yield  to  a  civilization  whose  tendency  is  so  diffusive.  There 
are,  indeed,  enough  signs  of  amelioration  to  encourage  the 
least  sanguine.  Within  a  few  years,  the  claims  of  genius 
and  character,  of  taste  and  culture,  have  been  more  and  more 
practically  recognized.  The  refinements  in  domestic  econo 
my,  the  popularity  of  art,  the  prevalent  love  and  cultivation 
of  music,  the  free  institutions  for  self-culture,  the  new  appre 
ciation  of  rural  life,  the  tempered  tone  of  religious  contro 
versy,  the  higher  standard  of  taste  and  literature,  and  the 
more  frequent  study  of  the  natural  sciences,  are  obvious  indi 
cations  of  progress  in  the  right  direction,  since  the  severe 
comments  upon  American  life  and  manners  were  partially 
justified  by  facts.  Even  the  specific  defects  noted  by  travel 
lers  half  a  century  ago,  are  essentially  lessened  or  have  quite 
disappeared. 

A  living  and  candid  French  writer  alludes  to  the  United 
States  as  "  une  terre  plus  separee  de  nous  par  les  nuages  de 
nos  prejuges  que  par  les  brouillards  de  1'Atlantique."  Not  a 
few  of  these  prejudices  had  their  origin  in  facts  that  no 


CONCLUSION.  443 

longer  exist.  It  is  almost  impossible  for  a  European  to  make 
due  allowances  for  the  changes  that  occur  on  this  side  of  the 
water.  But  while  some  of  the  minor  faults  and  dangers  re 
corded  by  tourists  are  obsolete,  the  chief  obstacles  recognized 
by  all  thoughtful  observers  to  our  national  welfare,  are  only 
so  far  diminished  that  they  are  more  clearly  apprehended  and 
more  candidly  acknowledged.  The  crisis  foretold  as  regards 
slavery,  has  arrived,  and  taken  the  form  of  an  unprovoked 
rebellion  against  the  Federal  Government,  whereby  the  na 
tional  power  and  virtue  have  been  confirmed  and  elicited. 
The  double  term  of  the  Presidential  office,  the  almost  indis 
criminate  right  of  electoral  suffrage,  in  connection  with  the 
vast  emigration  of  ignorant  and  degraded  natives  of  Europe, 
the  facility  in  making  and  consequent  recklessness  in  spend 
ing  money,  the  extension  of  territory,  the  decadence  in  public 
spirit,  the  increase  of  unprincipled  political  adventurers,  and 
the  license  of  the  press,  have,  each  and  all,  as  prophesied  and 
anticipated,  worked  out  an  immeasurable  amount  of  political 
and  social  evil.  Irreverence  and  materialism  have  kept  pace 
with  success ;  abuses  in  official  rule,  neglect  in  civic  duty, 
convulsions  in  finance,  crises  of  political  opinion  and  parties 
— a  kind  of  mechanical,  unaspiring,  self-absorbed  prosperity, 
have  resulted  from  so  many  avenues  to  wealth  thrown  open  to 
private  enterprise,  and  such  a  passion  for  gain  and  office  as 
the  unparalleled  opportunity  inevitably  breeds.  Yet,  withal, 
there  have  been  and  are  redeeming  elements,  auspicious  signs, 
hopeful  auguries ;  and  those  who  are  least  cognizant  of  these, 
should  never  forget  that  our  social  life  and  political  system 
bring  everything  to  the  surface ;  and  it  is  the  average 
character  of  a  vast  nation,  and  not  the  acts  of  a  few  exclu 
sive  rulers,  that  the  daily  journals  of  the  United  States  re 
veal.  The  Government  is  always  behind  and  below  what  it 
represents ;  the  facts  of  the  hour  that  are  patent,  and  taken 
as  significant  of  the  national  life,  are  bu£  partial  exponents 
of  private  use,  beauty,  faith,  freedom,  progress,  and  peace, 
which  eternal  blessings  the  individual  is  more  free  to  seek 


44:4:  AMERICA  AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

here  and  now,  than  under  any  institutions  the  record  whereof 
is  concealed  in  royal  cabinets. 

It  has  long  been  an  accepted  proposition,  that  the  peculiar 
interest,  importance,  and  moral  significance  of  the  United 
States  in  the  family  of  nations,  rests  exclusively  on  a  practical 
realization  of  the  "  greatest  good  of  the  greatest  number  ; " 
in  other  words,  Europe  has  represented  the  idea  of  culture 
and  of  .society — America  of  material  prosperity,  the  paradise 
of-  the  masses,  the  one  place  on  earth  where  nourishment  and 
shelter  can  be  had  most  certainly  in  exchange  for  labor : 
hence  the  manners  of  the  country  have  been  invariably  criti 
cized,  and  physical  resources  magnified ;  and  hence,  too,  the 
cant  whereby  a  few  general  facts  are  made  to  overshadow 
countless  special  details  of  life,  of  character,  and  of  civiliza 
tion.  Never  was  there  a  populous  land  whose  inhabitants 
were  so  uniformly  judged  en  masse,  or  one  about  which  the 
truth  has  been  more  generalized  and  less  discriminated.  We 
find  it  quite  easy  to  imagine  the  far  different  conclusions  to 
which  an  observant  and  perspicacious  student  of  life  in  Amer 
ica  might  arrive,  with  ample  opportunities  and  sympathetic 
insight.  To  such  a  mind,  the  individual  of  adequate  endow 
ments,  born  and  bred  or  long  resident  here,  would  offer  traits 
and  triumphs  of  character  or  experience,  directly  resulting 
from  the  political,  social,  and  natural  circumstances  of  the 
country,  which,  to  say  the  least,  would  impress  him  with  the 
originality  and  possible  superiority  thereof  in  a  psychological 
or  ethnological  view.  To  group,  define,  or  analyze  these 
peculiarities,  would  require  not  only  an  artist's  insight  and 
skill,  but  a  much  broader  range  than  a  traveller's  hasty  jour 
nal  or  a  reviewer's  flippant  commentary.  There  is  one  branch 
of  the  subject,  however,  to  which  every  thinking  observer  is 
irresistibly  led — the  remarkable  diversities  of  tone  and  tact, 
of  vigor  and  adaptation,  of  personal  conviction  and  individual 
careers,  which  the  life  of  the  prairies  and  the  mart,  and  the 
plantation,  the  seaboard,  and  the  interior,  the  scholar  of  the 
East,  the  hunter  of  the  West,  the  agriculturist  of  the  South, 
and  the  manufacturer  of  the  North,  mould,  foster,  and  train ; 


CONCLUSION.  44:5 

the  rare  and  rich  social  combination  thence  eliminated ;  the 
occasional  force  and  beauty,  bravery  and  influence  thus  de 
veloped  in  a  way  and  on  a  scale  unknown  to  Europe :  such 
possibilities  and  local  tendencies  being  furthermore  infinitely 
modified  and  tempered,  intensified  or  diffused,  by  the  extra 
ordinary  degree  of  personal  freedom  and  range  of  specula 
tion  and  belief,  experiment  and  inquiry — religious,  scientific, 
political,  and  economical ; — perhaps  not  the  least  striking  evi 
dence  whereof  is  to  be  found  in  the  modification  of  national 
traits  observed  in  foreigners  who  become  Americanized — the 
sensitive  and  capricious  native  of  Southern  Europe,  often 
attaining  self-reliance  and  progressive  energy ;  the  English 
solidity  of  character  becoming  "  touched  to  finer  issues"  by 
attrition  with  a  more  liberal  social  life  and  a  less  humid  cli 
mate  ;  and  even  Gallic  vivacity  reaching  an  unwonted  practi 
cal  and  judicious  equilibrium :  for  it  is  a  curious  fact,  that  the 
student  of  character  can  nowhere  detect  in  solution  so  many 
of  the  influences  of  all  climes  and  the  idiosyncrasies  of  all 
nations,  as  in  this  grand  rendezvous  and  arena — obnoxious, 
indeed,  to  the  evils  that  attend  extravagance,  superfluity,  in 
congruity,  the  wilfulness  and  the  wantonness  of  gregarious 
prosperity ;  but  none  the  less  radiant  and  real  with  the  hope 
and  the  health  of  abundant  human  elements,  and  the  abey 
ance  of  caste,  despotism,  and  conformity ;  so  that,  more  and 
more,  the  great  lesson  of  moral  independence  comes  home  to 
personal  conviction.  From  early  learning  to  work  and  think 
for  themselves,  and  to  feel  for  others,  our  people  grow  in  the 
intimate  conviction  that  here  and  now,  if  nowhere  else  in 
God's  universe,  men  and  women  can,  by  the  just  exercise  of 
their  will  and  the  wise  use  of  their  opportunities,  live  accord 
ing  to  their  individual  wants,  capacities,  and  belief;  rise 
above  circumstances ;  assert  their  individuality ;  cultivate 
their  powers  in  faith  and  freedom ;  enjoy  their  gifts ;  and 
become,  however  situated,  true  and  benign  exemplars  of 
manhood  and  womanhood.  And  in  all  these  natural  and  civic- 
agencies  that  excite  and  eliminate  and  intensify,  ay,  and 
often  prematurely  wear  out  and  unwisely  concentrate  the 


446  AMERICA   AND   HEK   COMMENTATORS. 

energies  and  the  life  of  humanity  here,  we  behold  an  arena, 
a  series  of  influences,  a  means  and  medium  of  experience  and 
experiment,  designed  by  Infinite  Wisdom  for  a  special  pur 
pose  in  the  vast  economy  of  the  world ;  and  before  this  con 
viction  the  pigmies  of  political  prejudice  and  the  venal  critics 
of  the  hour  sink  into  contempt. 

In  a  broad  view  and  with  reference  to  humanity,  as  such, 
it  is  Opportunity  that  distinguishes  and  consecrates  American 
institutions,  nationality,  nature,  and  life.  No  microscopic  or 
egotistical  interpretation  can  do  justice  to  the  country.  A 
narrow  heart,  a  conventional  standard,  are  alike  inapplicable 
to  test  communities,  customs,  resources,  as  here  distributed 
and  organized.  Berkeley  as  a  Christian,  Washington  as  a 
patriotic  and  De  Tocqueville  as  a  political  philosopher,  recog 
nized  Opportunity  as  the  great  and  benign  distinction  of 
America.  The  very  word  implies  the  possible  and  probable 
abuses,  the  periods  of  social  transition,  the  incongruities, 
hazards,  and  defects  inevitable  to  such  a  condition.  Com 
merce,  science,  and  freedom  are  the  elements  of  our  prosper 
ity  and  character ;  and  it  is  no  Utopian  creed,  that,  by  the 
laws  of  modern  civilization,  they  work  together  for  good ; 
but  the  dilettante  and  the  epicurean,  the  rigid  conservative, 
the  exacting  man  of  society,  and  the  selfish  man  of  the 
world,  find  their  cherished  instincts  often  offended,  where  the 
generous  and  wise,  the  noble  and  earnest  soul  is  lost  in  "  an 
idea  dearer  than  self,"  when,  with  disinterested  acumen  and 
sympathy,  regarding  the  spectacle  of  national  development 
and  personal  success. 

To  the  eye  of  a  historical  and  ethical  philosopher,  no  pos 
sible  argument  in  favor  of  liberal  institutions  can  be  more 
impressive  than  the  insane  presumption  which  has  led  men  of 
education  and  knowledge  of  the  world  to  stir  up  and  lead  an 
insurrection  to  secure,  in  this  age  and  on  this  continent,  the 
perpetuity  and  political  sanctity  of  human  slavery.  So  des 
perate  a  moral  experiment  argues  the  irrationality  as  well  as 
the  inhumanity  of  "  property  in  man  "  with  trumpet-tongued 
emphasis.  And  this  solemn  lesson  is  enforced  by  the  new 


CONCLUSION.  447 

revelation,  brought  about  by  civil  war,  of  the  actual  influence 
of  slavery  upon  character.  The  ignorance  and  recklessness 
of  the  "  poor  whites  "  became  fanatical  under  the  excitement 
to  passion  and  greed,  which  the  leaders  fostered  to  betray 
and  brutalize  the  "  landless  resolutes."  Under  no  other  cir 
cumstances,  by  no  conceivable  means,  except  through  the 
unnatural  and  inhuman  conditions  of  such  a  social  disorgani 
zation,  could  a  white  population,  in  the  nineteenth  century, 
on  a  flourishing  continent  and  under  an  actually  free  Gov 
ernment,  be  cajoled  and  maddened  into  hate,  unprovoked  by 
the  slightest  personal  wrong,  and  exhibiting  itself  in  blas 
phemy,  theft,  drunkenness,  poisoning,  base  and  cruel  tricks, 
barbarities  wholly  unknown  to  modern  civilized  warfare ; 
such  as  bayoneting  the  wounded,  wantonly  shooting  prison 
ers,  desecrating  the  dead  to  convert  their  bones  into  ghastly 
trophies,  and  leaving  behind  them,  in  every  abandoned  camp, 
letters  malign  in  sentiment,  vulgar  in  tone,  and  monstrous  in 
orthography — patent  evidences  of  the  possible  coexistence 
of  the  lowest  barbarism  and  ostensible  civilization,  and  the 
moral  necessity  of  anticipating  by  war  the  suicidal  crisis  of 
a  fatally  diseased  local  society. 

When  the  English  replied  to  John  Adams's  defence  of 
the  American  Constitution,  their  chief  argument  against  it 
was,  that,  in  war,  the  Executive  had  not  adequate  power. 
This  supreme  test  has  now  been  applied  in  a  desperate  civil 
conflict.  An  educated  people  have  sustained  the  Government 
in  extending  its  constitutional  authority  to  meet  the  national 
exigency,  without  the  least  disturbance  of  that  sense  of  pub 
lic  security  and  private  rights  essential  to  the  integrity  of  our 
institutions.  Nor  is  this  all.  The  war  for  the  Union  has,  in  a 
few  months,  done  more  to  solve  the  problem  of  free  and  slave 
labor,  to  do  away  with  the  superstitious  dread  of  servile  in 
surrection  in  case  of  partial  freedom,  to  expose  the  fallacies 
of  pro-slavery  economists,  to  demonstrate  the  identity  of 
prosperous  industry  with  freedom,  to  mutually  enlighten  dif 
ferent  populations,  to  make  clear  the  line  of  demarcation 
between,  the  patriot  and  the  politician,  to  nationalize  local 


448  AMERICA   AND   HER   COMMENTATORS. 

sentiment,  to  make  apparent  the  absolute  resources  of  the 
country  and  the  normal  character  of  the  people,  and  thus  to 
vindicate  free  institutions,  than  all  the  partisan  dissensions 
and  peaceful  speculation  since  the  Declaration  of  Indepen 
dence.  Moreover,  the  war  has  developed  original  inventive 
talent  in  ordnance  and  camp  equipage,  afforded  precisely  the 
discipline  our  people  so  "  disinclined  to  subordination  "  need 
ed,  won  our  self-indulgent  young  men  from  luxury  to  self- 
denial,  evoked  the  generous  instincts  of  the  mercantile  classes, 
called  out  the  benign  efficiency  of  woman,  confirmed  the 
popular  faith,  fused  classes,  made  heroes,  unmasked  the  selfish 
and  treacherous,  purified  the  social  atmosphere,  and,  through 
disaster  and  hope  deferred,  conducted  the  nation  to  the  high 
est  and  most  Christian  self-assertion  and  victory.  The  his 
tory  of  the  Sanitary  Commission,  the  improvements  in  mili 
tary  science,  the  letters  of  the  rank  and  file  of  the  Union 
army  preserved  in  the  local  journals,  the  topographical  reve 
lations,  personal  prowess,  vast  extent  of  operations,  new 
means  and  appliances,  and  momentous  results,  will  afford  the 
future  historian  not  only  unique  materials,  but  fresh  and  sur 
prising  evidence  of  the  elements  of  American  civilization  as 
exhibited  through  the  fiery  ordeal  of  civil  war.  The  Procla 
mation*  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  at  the  close 

*  "Fellow  citizens,  we  cannot  escape  history. 

"  We,  of  this  Congress,  will  be  remembered  in  spite  of  ourselves. 

"  No  personal  significance,  or  insignificance,  can  spare  one  or  another 
of  us. 

"  The  fiery  trial  through  which  we  pass,  will  light  us  down  in  honor  or 
dishonor  to  the  latest  generation. 

"  We  say  that  we  are  for  the  Union.  The  world  will  not  forget  that 
while  we  say  this,  we  do  know  how  to  save  the  Union.  The  world  knows  we 
do  know  how  to  save  it.  We,  even  we  here,  hold  the  power  and  bear  the 
responsibility. 

"  In  giving  freedom  to  the  slave,  we  assure  freedom  to  the  free,  honorable 
alike  in  what  we  give  and  what  we  preserve. 

"  We  shall  nobly  save  or  meanly  lose  the  last  best  hope  of  the  earth. 

"  Other  means  may  succeed.     This  could  not  fail. 

"  The  way  is  plain — peaceful,  generous,  just ;  a  way  which,  if  followed, 
the  world  will  ever  applaud,  and  God  must  forever  bless. 

"ABRAHAM  LINCOLN." 


CONCLUSION.  44:9 

of  the  year  1862,  betokens  a  new  and  advanced  charter  of 
American  progress. 

"  Will  anybody  deny,"  asks  John  Bright,  in  a  recent 
speech  to  his  constituents,  "  that  the  Government  at  Wash 
ington,  as  regards  its  own  people,  is  the  strongest  Govern 
ment  in  the  world  at  this  hour  ?  And  for  this  simple  reason, 
because  it  is  based  on  the  will  of  an  instructed  people.  Look 
at  its  power.  I  am  not  now  discussing  why  it  is,  or  the  cause 
which  is  developing  this  power ;  but  power  is  the  thing  which 
men  regard  in  these  old  countries,  and  which  they  ascribe 
mainly  to  European  institutions.  But  look  at  the  power 
which  the  United  States  have  developed !  They  have  brought 
more  men  into  the  field,  they  have  built  more  ships  for  their 
navy,  they  have  shown  greater  resources  than  any  other  na 
tion  in  Europe  at  this  moment  is  capable  of.  Look  at  the 
order  which  has  prevailed  at  their  elections,  at  which,  as  you 
see  by  the  papers,  50,000,  or  100,000,  or  250,000  persons 
voted  in  a  given  State,  with  less  disorder  than  you  have  seen 
lately  in  three  of  the  smallest  boroughs  in  England — Barn- 
stable,  Windsor,  and  Andover.  Look  at  their  industry.  Not 
withstanding  this  terrific  struggle,  their  agriculture,  their 
manufactures  and  commerce  proceed  with  an  uninterrupted 
success.  They  are  ruled  by  a  President  chosen,  it  is  true, 
not  from  some  worn-out  royal  or  noble  blood,  but  from  the 
people,  and  one  whose  truthfulness  and  spotless  honor  have 
gained  him  universal  praise.  And  now  the  country  that 
has  been  vilified  through  half  the  organs  of  the  press  in 
England  during  the  last  three  years,  and  was  pointed  out,  too, 
as  an  example  to  be  shunned  by  many  of  your  statesmen, — 
that  country,  now  in  mortal  strife,  affords  a  haven  and  a  home 
for  multitudes  flying  from  the  burdens  and  the  neglect  of  the 
old  Governments  of  Europe.  And,  when  this  mortal  strife  is 
over,  when  peace  is  restored,  when  slavery  is  destroyed,  when 
the  Union  is  cemented  afresh — for  I  would  say,  in  the  lan 
guage  of  one  of  our  poets  addressing  his  country, 

'  The  grave  'a  not  dug  where  traitor  hands  shall  lay, 
In  fearful  haste,  thy  murdered  corse  away ' — 


450  AMERICA   AND    HER   COMMENTATORS. 

then  Europe  and  England  may  learn  that  an  instructed  de 
mocracy  is  the  surest  foundation  of  government,  and  that 
education  and  freedom  are  the  only  sources  of  true  greatness 
and  true  happiness  among  any  people." 

When  the  new  scientific  methods  of  historical  writing  are 
applied  to  the  annals  of  our  own  country,  some  remarkable 
coincidences  and  a  dramatic  unity  in  the  sequence  of  memo 
rable  events  will  illustrate  the  chronicle.  To  subdue  the  wil 
derness  ;  to  colonize  with  various  nationalities  a  vast  conti 
nent  ;  to  vindicate,  by  the  ordeal  of  battle,  the  supremacy 
among  them  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  element ;  to  raise  and  purify 
this  into  political  self-assertion,  by  establishing  free  institu 
tions  ;  under  their  auspicious  influence  to  attain  the  great 
est  industrial  development  and  territorial  expansion ;  and, 
finally,  in  these  latter  days,  to  solve,  by  the  terrible  alterna 
tive  of  civil  war,  the  vast  and  dark  problem  of  slavery — this 
is  the  momentous  series  of  circumstances  whereby  it  has 
pleased  God  to  educate  this  nation,  and  induce  moral  results 
fraught  with  the  highest  duties  and  hopes  of  humanity  ;  and, 
deeply  conscious  thereof,  we  cannot  but  exclaim,  with  our 
national  poet : 

u  0  country^  marvel  of  the  earth ! 

0  realm  to  sudden  greatness  grown ! 
The  age  that  gloried  in  thy  birth, 

Shall  it  behold  thee  overthrown? 
Shall  traitors  lay  thy  greatness  low  ? 
No !  land  of  hope  and  blessing,  no !  " 


INDEX. 


INDEX. 


A  BU8E  of  America,  English,  252. 

2i  Addison,  writings  of,  compared  with 
those  of  Washington  Irving,  288. 

Address  of  eminent  Frenchmen  to  loyal 
Americans,  154. 

Addresses,  commemorative,  421. 

Adrian!,  Count,  340;  "Washington's  opin 
ion  of  his  book,  340. 

Adventure,  spirit  of  Americans  for,  434. 

Agassiz,  on  the  priority  of  the.  formation 
of  the  American  continent,  14. 

Albany,  sketch  of  society  at,  by  Mrs. 
Grant,  172  :  Peter  Kalm's  picture  of,  in 
1749,  296. 

Alessandro,  Pietro  d',  342;  his  letters  from 
Boston,  343  ;  visits  Cambridge,  349  ;  the 
Boston  Athenaeum,  351. 

Allouez,  Father  Claude,  narrative  of,  44. 

Allston,  Washington,  on  the  affinity  which 
should  exist  between  the  United  States 
and  England,  259. 

Alyaco,  Petrus  de,  "  Imago  Mundi," 
Washington  Irving's  remarks  on,  23. 

America,  similarity  of,  to  Italy  in  furnish 
ing  subjects  of  interest  to  authors,  2  ; 
general  sameness  of  writings  of  travels 
in,  4  ',  European  writers  of  travels  in, 
each  interested  in  a  different  theme,  4  ; 
toleration  in,  the  source  of  its  attraction 
to  foreign  exiles,  7;  natural  features 
also  interest,  7  ;  early  discoverers  and 
explorers  of,  13  ;  its  natural  features 
conduce  to  the  spread  of  civilization, 
15  ;  its  antiquities  compared  with  those 
of  the  Old  World,  16  ;  conjectures  in 
regard  to  the  primitive  inhabitants  of 
America,  17  ;  claimed  by  the  Welsh  to 
have  been  discovered  by  Madoc  in  1170, 
18 ;  early  pictorial  representations  of 
manners  and  customs  or  its  inhabitants, 
23  ;  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centu 
ries  prolific  in  works  on,  24  ;  curious  re 
lics  of  annals  of  discovery  in,  26  ;  mis 
cellaneous  publications  relating  to,  33  ; 
English  abuse  of,  252  ;  book  collectors 
in,  317  ;  deceptions  practised  upon  trav 
ellers  in,  341 ;  self-respect  of  its  people, 
441. 

American  travellers  and  writers,  371. 


Ampere,  J.  J.,"  Promenade  enAmerique," 
142;  notes  carelessness  of  Americana, 
143  ;  versatility  of  his  descriptions,  144 . 

Anbury,  Thomas,  "Travels  in  the  Inte 
rior  of  America,"  186  ;  description  of 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  187  ;  notices  the  de 
fective  teeth  of  Americans,  188  ;  regrets 
that  he  cannot  visit  Boston,  188  ;  anx 
iety  to  return  to  England,  188. 

Antiquities,  American,  compared  with 
those  of  the  Old  World,  16. 

Asho,  Thomas,  202;  his  travels  in  Amer 
ica,  203  ;  his  peculiar  opinions  of  Amer 
icans,  204. 

Athenaoum,  the  Boston,  described  by  Pie 
tro  d'Alensandro,  350. 

•HACKWOODSMEN,    American,    TaJ- 

1)     leyrand's  opinion  of,  114. 

Bancroft,  George,  visit  of  John  G.  Kohl  to, 
at  Newport,  324. 

Barre,  Col.,  on  English  of  America  before 
the  Revolutionary  war,  254. 

Bartlett,  John  R.,  "  Dictionary  of  Amer 
icanisms,1'  286  ;  similarity  between  tho 
provincialisms  of  New  England  and 
those  of  Great  Britain,  286. 

Bartram,  John,  372  ;  his  botanical  labors, 
372  ;  his  travels,  374  ;  Peter  Collinson'a 
opinion  of  him,  374;  his  close  observ 
ance  of  nature,  376;  description  of  Os- 
wego,  377  ;  appointed  botanist  and  nat 
uralist  to  the  king  of  England,  378  ;  ex 
plores  Florida,  379  ;  his  homo  life,  380.  . 

Bartram,  William,  382 ;  his  study  of  na 
ture,  384. 

Beaumont,  Gustavo  de,  his  "  Marie,"  189 ; 
women  of  America  and  France  com 
pared,  141. 

Belknap,  Dr.,  the  foremost  primitive  lo 
cal  historian  of  America,  3  ;  founder  of 
tho  Massachusetts  Historical  Society, 
3  ;  his  description  of  the  White  Moun 
tains,  3. 

Beltrami,  J.  C.,  "  Pilgrimage  in  Europe 
and  America,"  342. 

Benton,  Thomas  H.,  sketch  of,  322. 

Berkeley,  Bishop  G.,  166  ;  obtains  a  char 
ter  for  erecting  a  college  in  Bermuda, 


454 


INDEX. 


157  ;  his  letters,  157  ;  Walpole  and,  158  ; 
lines  of,  159  ;  marries  and  embarks  for 
America,  159  ;  his  friendship  for  Smi- 
bert  the  painter,  161  ;his  sacrifices,  161  ; 
arrives  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  162  ;  religious 
condition  of  Rhode  Island  in  1714,162; 
his  reception  at  Newport,  163  ;  letter 
describing  the  town,  164  ;  is  delighted 
with  American  scenery,  165 ;  his  muni 
ficence  to  Yale  College,  167  ;  memorials 
of  his  residence  in  America,  169. 

Biography,  American,  424,  432. 

Blackwooffs  Magazine,  remarks  of,  on 
Harriet  Martineau's  book,  225  ;  its  ridi 
cule  of  Yale  College  and  New  England- 
era,  263. 

Bonaparte,  Joseph,  resides  in  seclusion  in 
New  Jersey,  122. 

Book  collectors,  American,  317. 

Books  of  travel,  diversity  of  treatment  of,  4. 

Boston,  notes  of  Marquis  de  Chastellux 
on,  74  ;  described  by  L'Abbe  Robin  in 
1781,  76  •  its  people,  77  ;  commerce,  78  ; 
visit  of  Brissot  de  Warvilie  to,  83  ;  com 
mercial  intercourse  of,  in  1729, 166  ;  John 
G.  Kohl's  impressions  of,  313  ;  book  col 
lectors  of,  317  ;  Luigi  Castiglione's  im 
pressions  of,  339  ;  Pietro  d'Alessandro's 
description  of  its  people,  345. 

Botany,  promoters  of  the  science  of,  in 
America,  372. 

Botta,  Carlo,  334. 

Bradford,  Governor,  poetical  description 
o'f  New  England,  33. 

Breckinridge,  Dr.,  on  the  necessity  of  the 
maintenance  of  the  American  Union,  277. 

Bremer,  Fredrika,  her  novels,  298  ;  her 
reception  in  America,  298  ;  her  compari 
sons  of  Swedish  and  American  scene 
ry,  299  ;  her  curiosity,  299. 

Bright,  John,  on  the  strength  of  the 
United  States  Government,  449. 

Brillat-Savarin,  "  Physiologic  du  Gout," 
125  ;  wild-turkey  shooting,  126  ;  visit  to 
the  family  of  M.  Bulow,  127. 

Brissot  de  Warvilie,  82 ;  visits  Boston, 
83  ;  journeys  to  New  York,  84  ;  Phila 
delphia,  84  •,  visits  Washington  at  Mount 
Vernon,  85  ;  Whittier's  lines  on,  86  ;  his 
anti-slavery  sympathies,  86  ;  admiration 
of  Americans,  87  ;  sketch  of  New  York 
city  in  1788,  87  ;  smoking  in  New  York, 
88. 

Bristed,  Rev.  John,  205 ;  his  "  America 
and  her  Resources,"  205  ;  opinion  of  Lon 
don  Quarterly  Review  on  his  work,  206. 

British  authors,  writings  of,  compared 
with  those  of  America,  288. 

British  colonists  in  America  described  by 
Charlevoix,  49. 

British  travellers  and  writers  on  America, 
156;  desirableness  and  feasibility  of  a 
compilation  of  their  works,  215  ;  miscel 
laneous  works  of,  on  America,  218,  219, 
220,  222,  224,  229. 

Brown,  Charles  Brockden,  translates  Vol- 
ney's  work  on  America,  97. 

Browning,  Elizabeth,  on  British  illiber- 
ality,  290. 

Bryant,  William  Cullen,  his  "  Letters  of  a 
Traveller,"  418  ;  his  poems,  430. 


Bulow,  M.,  visit  of  Brillat-Savarin  to  the 
family  of,  127. 

Burke,  Edmund,  "  Account  of  the  Euro 
pean  Settlements  in  America,"  181. 

Burnaby,  Rev.  Andrew,  173  ;  his  descrip 
tion  of  Virginians,  173  ;  visits  Philadel 
phia,  174  ;  New  York,  174 ;  opinion  of 
Long  Island,  175  ;  visits  Rhode  Island, 
175  ;  opinion  of  its  people,  175  ;  his  de 
scription  of  Bishop  Berkeley's  residence 
at  Newport,  176  ;  visits  "Boston  and 
Cambridge,  177  ;  strict  observance  of 
the  Sabbath  in  New  England,  178  ;  his 
opinions  in  regard  to  the  American 
colonies,  179. 

Byrd,  William,  expeditions  of,  described 
in  the  Westover  Manuscripts,  32. 

Byron,  211  ;  his  apostrophe  to  America, 
212. 

CAMBRIDGE,  Mass.,  described  by  Tho- 

\J  mas  Anbury,  187 ;  Pietro  d'Alessan 
dro's  visit  to,  349. 

Canonicut  Island,  Bishop  Berkeley  lands 
at,  162. 

Capobianco,  Raffaolle,  358 ;  ridiculous 
statements  of  his  hook,  359. 

Carli,  Le  Comte,  "  Lettres  Americaines," 
5. 

Carlisle,  Earl  of,  his  lecture  at  Leeds  on 
the  United  States,  231. 

Carver,  Capt.  John,  387  ;  his  •'  Travels," 
388. 

Castiglione,  Luigi,  338  ;  his  impressions  of 
Boston,  339  ;  visit  to  Mount  Vernon,  339. 

Catholic  missionaries  the  pioneer  writers 
of  American  travels,  37. 

Charming,  William  Ellery,  436  ;  his  influ 
ence  on  free  institutions  in  America, 
437. 

Charlevoix,  P.  F.  X.,  travels  in  Canada 
and  the  Northwest,  47  ;  his  letters,  49; 
account  of  New  Englatid  and  other 
British  provinces,  49  ;  description  of  the 
Missouri  and  Mississippi,  50  ;  review  of 
the  scene  of  his  labors,  51 ;  his  "  His- 
toire  de  la  Nouvelle  France,"  57. 

Chastellux,  Marquis  de,  58;  a  friend  of 
Washington,  59;  his  "Voyages  dans 
1'Amerique  Septentriona1e,60  ;""romance 
of  his  style  and  comparisons,  60  ;  opin 
ions  of  his  writings,  61  ;  his  "  Travels  " 
translated  into  English,  61 ;  justness  of 
his  criticisms,  62;  visits  Providence, 
R.  I.,  63  ;  Hartford,  64;  sketch  of  Gov. 
Trumbull,  64  ;  visits  the  Hudson  High 
lands,  65  :  interview  with  Washington 
and  his  officers,  65  ;  visits  Philadelphia, 
66  ;  Mrs.  Bache,  66  ;  Robert  Morris,  66  ; 
social  customs  of  Frenchmen  and  Qua 
kers  compared,  66  ;  his  description  of 
Northern  New  York,  67 ;  journey  into 
Virginia,  68  ;  describes  Jefferson,  69  ; 
minuteness  of  his  observation,  71  ;  traits 
of  different  sections,  72  ;  visits  Ports 
mouth,  N.  H.,  73;  attends  a  ball  at 
Boston,  and  describes  the  "  prettiest  of 
the  women  dancers."  74  ;  other  Boston 
celebrities,  74  ;  takes  leave  of  Washing 
ton  at  Newbunrh,  74  ;  his  description  of 
Washington,  75 ;  translates  Col.  Hum- 


INDEX. 


455 


phrey's  "  Address  to  the  American  Ar 
mies,"  76. 

Chateaubriand  visits  the  United  States, 
118  ;  visits  Washington,  119  ;  impressed 
with  American  scenery,  120. 

Children,  American,  Anthony  Trollope 
on  the  precocity  of,  239. 

Civilization,  natural  features  of  America 
conduce  to  the  spread  of,  15. 

Cleveland,  Morris,  his  visit  to  Ohio  from 
New  England  in  1796,  400. 

Clinton,  De  Witt,  his  "  Letters  of  Hiber- 
nicus,"  404  ;  his  exploration  of  Western 
New  York,  405  ;  impressed  with  the  ne 
cessity  and  feasibility  of  a  great  canal, 
408  ;  realization  of  his  project,  410. 

Cobbett,  William,  208  •  praises  farm  life  in 
America,  209;  his  bluntness,  egotism, 
and  radicalism,  210  ;  Heine's  apostrophe 
to,  211. 

Cobden,  Richard,  his  opinion  of  the  Lon 
don  Times,  291. 

Collinson,  Peter,  his  opinion  of  John  Bur- 
tram,  374. 

Columbus,  Christopher,  familiar  with  the 
writings  of  Petrus  de  Alyaco,  23. 

Commemorative  Addresses,  421. 

Congress,  Continental,  Jacob  Duche, 
chaplain  of,  81. 

Connecticut,  a  glimpse  of,  in  Washing 
ton's  Diary,  in  1789,  419. 

Cooper,  J.  Fonimore,  his  romances  com 
pared  with  those  of  Scott,  288  ;  endea 
vors  to  censure  and  counsel,  413  ;  Elal- 
leck's  lines  on,  414  ;  accuracy  of  his 
descriptions,  430. 

Cooper,  Thomas,  197;  his  opinions  of 
America,  198. 

Coxe,  Tench,  his  "  View  of  the  United 
States  of  America,"  393. 

Crevecceur  H.  St.  John,  settles  in  New 
York  in  1754,  89  ;  Hazlitt's  opinion  of  his 
work,  89  ;  his  misfortunes,  90  ;  his  "  Let 
ters  of  an  American  Farmer,"  90  ;  taste 
for  rural  life,  92  ;  birds,  92  ;  his  human 
ity  rewarded,  93. 

DABLON,  Father,  superior  of  the  Otta 
wa  Mission,  44. 

Davis,  John,  200 ;  his  "  Travels  in  the 
United  States,"  201. 

De  Bry,  "  Voyages  and  Travels  to  Amer 
ica,"  23. 

Deceptions  practised  upon  travellers  in 
America,  341. 

DePradt,  "L'Europeet  1'Amerique,"  149. 

Dickens,  Charles,  221;  his  remarks  on 
American  slavery,  221 ;  ridicules  Eng 
lish  writers  on  America  in  "  Pickwick," 
264. 

Domenech,  Abbe  Em.,  his  "  Seven  Years' 
Residence  in  the  Great' American  Des 
erts"  ridiculed  by  a  London  journal,  6. 

Douglas?,  Dr.  William,  his  work  on  the 
"  British  Settlements  in  North  America, 
183  ;  Adam  Smith's  opinion  of  him,  185, 

Duche,  Jacob,  remarks  of,  on  America 
before  the  Revolution,  81 ;  treachery  of, 
81. 

Duval,  Jules,  his  opinion  of  the  advan 
tages  of  emigration,  283. 


Dwight,  Timothy,  "  Travels  in  New  Eng 
land  and  New  York,"  390  ;  Robert 
Southey's  opinion  of  his  "  Travels"  in 
the  Quarterly  jReview,  392. 

EARLY  discoverers  and    explorers   of 
America,  13. 
Early  travellers,  accounts  of,  most  to  be 

J  referred,  1. 
iis,  William, "  Letters  from  America," 
186. 

Education,  Anthony  Trol'lope's  opinion  of 
the  American  system  of,  236. 

Elliot,  Rev.  Jared,  becomes  acquainted 
with  Bishop  Berkeley,  167. 

Emigrants,  European,  freedom  of  action 
enjoyed  by,  in  America,  440. 

English  abuse  of  America,  252  ;  their  ig 
norance  of  America  before  the  Revolu 
tion,  254. 

English  and  French  writers  on  the  War 
for  the  Union  contrasted,  153. 

English,  brutality  of  the,  281;  their  want 
of  consideration  for  woman,  282;  the 
debasement  of  their  poor,  282  ;  furnish 
frequent  subjects  for  caricature,  284  ; 
their  ridicule  of  Yankeeisms,  2S6  ;  Mr?. 
Browning  on  the  illiberality  of  the,  290  ; 
Voltaire's  comparison  of  the,  290 ; 
change  of  feeling  of  Americans  toward 
the,  291. 

English  periodicals,  misrepresentations  of, 
260. 

English  publisher,  venality  of  an,  260. 

European  Governments,  facilities  offered 
by,  for  the  diffusion  of  knowledge  re 
lating  to  early  explorations,  26  ;  writers, 
northern,  293  ;  French  literature  in,  293. 

Everett,  Edward,  his  opinion  of  Cap 
tain  Basil  Hall's  book,  200;  visit  of 
John  G.  Kohl  to,  318  ;  his  Addresses, 
429. 

Expeditions,  U.  S.  Government,  418. 

Eyma,  Xavier,  "Vie  dans  le  Noveau 
Monde,"  151. 

FAUX,  an  English  farmer,  222 ;  his  ab 
surd  calumnies,  223. 

Fearon,  Henry  B.,  Sydney  Smith's  opinion 
of,  200. 

Female  writers,  British,  on  America,  222. 

Fiddler,  Rev.  Isaac,  remarks  of  North 
American  Review  on  his  "  Observa 
tions,"  201. 

Fisch,  Georges,  "  Les  Etats  Unis  en 
1861,"  149  ;  first  impressions  of  New 
York,  150 ;  opinion  of  H.  W.  Beecher, 
151;  religion,  art,  etc.,  151. 

Flint,  Timothy,  401  ;  his  pictures  of  the 
West,  402  ;  his  "  History  and  Geography 
of  the  Mississippi  Valley,"  403  ;  opinion 
of  the  London  Quarterly  upon,  404. 

Florida,  a  paradise  for  the  naturalist,  379  ; 
explored  by  John  Bartram,  379. 

Force,  Peter,  writings  and  compilations 
of,  36 ;  a  collector  of  works  relating  to 
America,  318. 

Foster,  John  Retranslates  Peter  Kalm'n 
"  Travels  in  North  America,"  295. 

French  and  Americans,  cause  of  their  af 
finity,  153. 


456 


INDEX. 


French  and  English  writers  on  the  "War 
for  the  Union  contrasted,  153. 

French  economical  works  on  America,  146. 

French  missionaries  the  initiators  of  travel 
literature  in  the  New  "World,  24;  ex 
plorations  of,  37. 

French  Protestant  clergy,  books  of,  on 
United  States,  149. 

French  travellers  and  writers,  58. 

French  writers  on  America,  their  supe 
rior  candor,  269. 

Frenchmen,  American  opinions  of,  de 
scribed  by  L'  Abbe  Robin,  79  ;  eminent, 
address  of,  to  loyal  Americans,  154. 

Furstenwatber.  Baron,  first  impressions  on 
America,  303. 

r\  ALE,  Ludwig,  "  My  Emigration  to  the 

VJ     United  States,"  306. 

Gasparin,  Count  de,  his  "  Uprising  of  a 
Great  People,"  153. 

Germans,  interest  of  the,  in  the  United 
States,  301 ;  their  literature  on  the 
United  States,"  302. 

Goldsmith,  Oliver,  his  ignorance  of  Amer 
ica,  254. 

Gorges,  Fernando,  "  America  Painted  to 
the  Life,"  28  :  his  American  enterprises, 
29. 

Gorges,  Sir  Ferdinand,  remarks  of  Win- 
throp  and  Bancroft  on,  29. 

Government  expeditions,  U.  S.,  418. 

Grant,  Mrs.,  170  ;  her  "  Memoirs  of  an 
American  Lady,"  171 ;  sketch  of  society 
at  Albany,  172. 

Grassi,  Padre  Giovanni,  341 ;  his  "  Notes," 
341  ;  extravagant  statements  of,  341. 

Grattan,  Thos.  Colley,  "  Civilized  Amer 
ica,"  229  ;  his  animadversions,  230. 

Grund,  Francis  J.,  his  books  on  America, 
308  :  his  opinion  of  the  writings  of  Basil 
Hall  and  Hamilton,  309  ;  business  habits 
of  Americans,  309;  interests  of  the  peo 
ple  connected  with  the  Government, 
310 :  necessity  of  concord  between  Eng 
land  and  America,  310. 

Guroweki,  Adam,  300  ;  his  book  on  Amer 
ica,  300. 

HAERNE,  Le  Chanoine  de,  "  La  Ques- 
tione  Americaine,"  301. 

Hakluyt,  Richard,  24  ;  his  works,  25. 

Hall,  Capt.  Basil,  remarks  of  Edward 
Everett  on  his  book,  200  ;  criticized  by 
Blackwootfs  Magazine,  200. 

Hall,  James,  411. 

Halleck,  Fitz-Greene,  lines  of,  on  Cooper, 
414. 

Hamilton,  C.ipt.  Thomas,  "Men  and  Man 
ners  in  America,"  223  ;  his  prejudices, 
223  •  appreciates  natural  beauty,  223. 

Hawthorne,  Nathaniel,  his  book  reviewed 
by  the  London  Daily  News,  275  ;  his  hits 
at  British  tendency  to  stagnation,  275 ; 
his  romances,  431. 

Hazlitt,  Wm.,  his  opinion  of  Crevecoeur's 
"  Letters  of  anAmerican  Farmer,"  89. 

Heine  apostrophizes  Wm.  Cobbett,  211  ; 
his  estimate  of  English  blockheads,  255  ; 
on  the  exultation  of  the  English  at  dis 
sensions  in  America,  267. 


Hennepin,  Louis,  39  ;  explores  the  Mis 
sissippi.  40 ;  returns  to  France,  and  in 
1683  publishes  his  "  Descriptions,"  41. 

Henry,  Alexander,  his  "  Travels  and  Ad 
ventures,"  commended  by  Chancellor 
Kent,  185. 

Historical  romances,  American  writers  of, 
431. 

Histories,  local,  426  ;  general,  428. 

Hodgson.  Adam,  217  ;  Jared  Sparks's  opin 
ion  of  his  book,  218. 

Hoffman,  Charles  Fenno,  his  "  Winter  in 
the  West,"  416  ;  his  geniality  and  versa 
tility,  416. 

Holland,  Sir  Henry,  on  the  mutability  of 
everything  in  America,  439. 

Honyman,  Rev.  James,  receives  a  letter 
from  Berkeley,  162. 

Humboldt,  Alexander  Von,  remarks  of 
Prescott  on,  19  :  remarks  of,  on  Amer 
ica,  303. 

TLLINOIS,  early  history  of,  52 ;  natural 

JL  features  of,  53  ;  commercial  facilities 
of,  54  ;  rapid  increase  of  population  in, 
54  ;  Jesuit  missionaries  in,  55  ;  Father 
Marest's  account  of,  56. 

Imlay,  Gilbert,  390. 

Immigration,  440. 

"  Inciquin  the  Jesuit's  Letters,"  394. 

Ingersoll,  Charles  J.,  395. 

Inns,  number  of,  in  America,  216  ;  Priscil- 
la  Wakefield's  description  of,  216. 

Irving,  Washington,  remarks  on  the 
"  Imago  Mundi"  of  Petrus  de  Alyaco, 
23  ;  extract  from  a  letter  from  Moore  to, 
211 ;  accounts  for  the  abuse  of  English 
writers  of  travel  in  the  United  States, 
258  ;  his  writings  compared  with  thoso 
of  Addison,  288. 

Italian  travellers  in  America,  334. 

Italy  and  America  alike  interesting  to 
authors,  2. 

JANSON,  C.  W'.,  "  The  Stranger  in 
America,"  218. 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  visit  of  Marquis  do 
Chastellux  to,  69. 

Jenks,  Rev.  Wm.,  D.  D.,  account  of  Ma- 
doc's  Voyage  to  America  in  1170,  18. 

Jesuits,  the,  in  Illinois,  55. 

Jews,  a  number  of,  in  Rhode  Island,  168. 

Johnson,  Rev.  Samuel,  becomes  acquaint 
ed  with  Bishop  Berkeley,  167. 

Josselyn.  John,  "  New  England's  Rarities 
Discovered,"  32. 

Judd,  Sylvester,  his  "  Margaret,"  431. 

Juridical  literature,  428. 

KALM,  Peter,  295  ;  his  works  on  Amer 
ica,  295  ;  notes  of  his  diary  on  Phila 
delphia,  295  ;  his  picture  of  Albany  in 
1749,  296  ;  visit  to  Niagara  Falls,  297. 

Kay,  Joseph,  "  Social  Condition  and  Edu 
cation  of  the  People  in  England,"  283. 

Kemble,  Mrs.,  on  the  affinity  between  the 
Americans  and  the  French,  153  ;  John 
G.  Kohl's  opinion  of,  316. 

Kendall,  E.  A.,  "  Travels  through  the 
Northern  Parts  of  the  United  States," 
206. 


INDEX. 


457 


Kent,  Chancellor,  commends cc  Travels  and 
Adventures  of  Alexander  Henry,"  185. 

Kirkland,  Mrs.  C.  M.,  her  books  on  the 
West,  422. 

Knight,  Madame,  her  "  Private  Journal," 
385 ;  her  journey  from  Boston  to  New 
York,  386. 

Kohl,  J.  G-.,  "  History  of  Discovery  in 
America  from  Columbus  to  Franklin," 
36  ;  sketch  of  his  writings,  311  ;  his 
impressions  of  Boston,  313  ;  sketch  of 
Mrs.  Kemble,  316  ;  Edward  Everett, 
318  ;  Prescott,  320  ;  John  Lothrop  Mot 
ley,  321  ;  Thomas  H.  Benton,  322 ;  visit 
to  Newport,  324  ;  Bancroft,  324;  Sumrier, 
325  ;  Southern  hato  of  New  England, 
326. 

T  ABOULATE,    Edouard,  "  Paris  dans 

Jj    1'Ainerique,  153. 

Lafayette,  on  the  necessity  of  the  perpetu 
ation  of  the  American  Union,  11 ;  his 
love  of  the  people  and  institutions  of 
America,  148. 

La  Salle  embarks  for  Canada  in  1675,  with 
Father  Hennepin,  39  ;  explores  the  great 
lakes,  39  ;  gives  the  name  to  Louisiana, 
40. 

Lauznn,  Duke  de,  charmed  with  the  so 
ciety  at  Newport,  147- 

Law,  writers  on  American,  428. 

Lecomte,  Col.  Ferdinand,  "  The  "War  in 
the  United  States,"  300. 

Lederer,  John,  the  first  explorer  of  the 
Alleghanies,  32. 

Ledyard,  John,  387. 

Lenox,  James,  a  collector  of  books  and 
documents  relating  to  America,  318. 

Libraries,  American  private,  ignorance  of 
British  writers  concerning,  274. 

Lieber,  Dr.  Francis,  305  ;  his  "  The  Stran 
ger  in  America,"  305. 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Proclamation  of,  448. 

Literature,  American,  considered  beneath 
contempt  by  British  writers  fifty  years 
ago,  287  ;  claimed  to  be  made  up  of  imi 
tations  of  British  authors,  287. 

Literature,  juridical,  428. 

London  Quarterly  Review,  its  opinion 
of  Rev.  John  Bristed's  "America  and 
her  Resources,"  206. 

Lowell,  factories  of,  compared  with  those 
of  Manchester,  Eng.,  by  Anthony  Trol- 
lope,  237. 

MADOC,  Rev.  "Wm.  Jenks's  account 
of  his  voyage  to  America  in  1170,  18. 

Marbois,  388  ;  his  "Notes  on  Virginia,"  389. 

Marest,  Father,  travels  in  Illinois,  56. 

Marquette  and  Joliet,  explorations  of,  45  ; 
death  of  Father  Marquette.  45. 

Martinean,  Ilarri.et,  224  ;  her  fairness  as  a 
writer,  224  ;  Blackwoocfs  opinion  of  her 
book,  225. 

Mather,  Cotton,  "Magnalia  Christ!  Amer 
icana,"  7,  33. 

McSparren,  Rev.  James,  letters  of,  170. 

Meier,  K.,  "  To  the  Sacramento,"  300. 

Menard,  Father  R4ne,  plans  an  expedition 
iu  search  of,  the  Mississippi  in  1660,  44. 

20 


Michaux,  Dr.  F.  A.,  risitg  the  country 
west  of  the  Alleghanies  in  1802, 121 :  his 
descriptions  of  natural  productions, 

121  ;  passion  of  Western  people  for  spir 
ituous  liquors,  122. 

Michelet,  his  opinion  of  America,  265. 

Montalembert,  discourse  in  the  French 
Academy  on  America,  10. 

Moore,  Thomas,  projects  emigrating  to 
America,  211  ;  extract  of  letter  from,  to 
Washington  Irving,  211 ;  arrives  at  NOT- 
folk,  Va.,  213  ;  meets  Jefterson  at  Wash 
ington,  213  ;  his  remarks  on  New  York 
scenery,  213;  his  prejudices  regarding 
America,  214. 

Morris,  Robert,  description  of,  by  Marquis 
de  Chastellux,  66. 

Motley,  John  Lothrop,  John  G.  Kohl's 
sketch  of,  321. 

Mount,  Vernon,  visit  of  Luigi  Castigliono 
to,  339. 

Murat,  Achille,  settles  in  Tallahassee,Fla., 

122  ;  his  work  on  the  United  States,  123  ; 
his  pro-slavery  ideas,  124. 

"VTATURAL    features  of  America  con- 

il     duce  to  the  spread  of  civilization,  15. 

Naturalists,  interest  of  America  to,  295. 

Neal,  John,  writes  articles  on  America 
for  Blackwootfs  Magazine,  396. 

New  England,  religious  character  of  her 
primitive  annaln,  24  ;  strict  observance 
of  the  Sabbath  in,  178  ;  Southern  hate  of, 
326. 

Newfoundland,  fisheries  of,  long  the  only 
attraction  to  European  adventure,  21. 

New  Netherlands,  Van  der  Dock's  ac- 
eount  of,  in  1659,  27. 

Newport,  R.  I.,  its  society  attractive  to 
French  officers,  148;  Bishop  Berkeley 
arrives  at,  163  ;  Berkeley's  discription  of, 
164  ;  Dr  Burnaby's  remarks  on  the  com 
merce  of,  175  ;  sketch  of,  by  John  GK 
Kohl,  324. 

New  World,  the  effects  of  ita  discovery 
and  settlement  upon  maritime  progress 
and  interests,  22. 

New  York  Bay,  Verrazzano's  description 
of,  338. 

New  York,  Northern,  described  by  Mar 
quis  de  Chastellux,  67  ;  sketch  of,  by 
Brissot  in  1788,  87  ;  varied  nationalities 
represented  in,  440. 

Niagara  Falls,  visit  of  Peter  Kalm  to,  297. 

North  America,  continent  of,  its  extent 
and  area,  15  ;  its  climate,  soil,  and  pro 
ductions  adapted  to  the  tastes  and  wants 
of  European  emigrants,  15;  its  produc 
tions  confounded  with  those  of  South 
America  by  ignorant  Europeans,  22  ;  a 
refuge  from  persecution  in  early  colonial 
times,  193. 

North  American  Review,  remarks  of  the, 
on  Rev.  Isaac  Fiddler's  "Observations," 
201  ;  exposes  the  ignorance  of  British 
writers  on  America,  262. 

OLMSTED,  Frederick  Law,  his  travels 
in  the  South,  417. 

Opportunity  the  characteristic  distinction 
of  America,  446. 


458 


INDEX. 


Orators,  American,  429. 
Oswego,  John   Bartram's  description  of, 
877. 

"PALMETTO     tree,    description  of,  by 

1      Priscilla  Wakeficld,216. 

Paulding,  James  K.,  "Letters  from  the 
South,"  398  ;  description  of  Virginia  and 
Its  people,  399  ;  his  "John  Bull  in  Amer-" 
Ica,"  400. 

Poabody,  George,  his  gift  to  tho  London 
working  class,  280. 

Pinchln,  Mr.,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
Springfield,  Macs.,  29. 

Pisani,  Licut.-Col.  Ferri,  365  :  his  impres- 
slons  on  the  patriotism  of  the  American 
people,  366  ;  visits  tho  Union  and  Rebel 
armies,  369  ;  pleased  with  Bohton  and  its 
society,  370. 

Poets,  American,  433. 

Political  treatises,  American,  428. 

Portsmouth.  X.  H.,  visit  of  Marqnll  de 
Chastelhix  to.  73. 

Pn-nti.-<-,  Archibald,  "  A  Tour  in  tho  Uni 
ted  States,"  246  ;  his  appreciation  of 
American  character,  246  ;  compares 
American  to  Scotch  scenery,  246  ;  Amer- 
iean  dislike  to  "  John  Bull,"  247. 

Prescott,William  II. .sketch  of,  by  John  G. 
Kohl,  320. 

Press,  the  Paris,  on  tho  War  for  tho 
Union,  152;  tho  British,  its  general  un 
fairness  on  the  American  question.  244  ; 
the  British,  blinded  by  self-love  In  dis 
cussing  American  institutions,  280. 

I'rimiiivo  inhabitants  of  America,  conjec 
tures  in  regard  to  the,  17. 

Providence,  R.  I.,  sketch  of,  by  Marquis  do 
Chastellux,  62. 

Purchas,  Rev.  Samuel,  25. 

QUAKERS,  prevalence    of     in   Rhodo 
Island,  168. 

|)AFN,  Carl  Christaln,  claims  tho  dls- 

lt  covery  of  America  by  tho  Scandi 
navians  in  tho  tenth  century,  13  ;  his 
"Northern  Antiquities,"  294. 

Raumer,  Frcidrich  von,  "America  and  Un- 
American  People,"  304. 

Raynal,  tho  Abbe,  writings  of,  on  Ameri 
ca,  107. 

Rebellion,  tho  Slaveholders',  literature 
arising  from,  8 ;  Anthony  Trollope'H 
view  of,  242. 

Reference,  American  works  of,  427. 

Religious  Annals  of  America,  420. 

Religious  sects  in  America,  writers  on,  420. 

Rovuo  des  Deux  Mondes,  the,  on  French 
disinterestedness,  272. 

Rhode  Island,  Bishop  Berkeley  Kettles  in, 
168;  religious  toleration  in,  168:  preva 
lence  of  Quakers  in,  108  ;  Jews  In,  168  ; 
Dr.  Burnaby's  opinion  of  the  people  of, 
175;  Major  Robert  Rogers'*  oplnori  of,181. 

Ritter,  Prof.  Carl,  "Geographical  Stud 
ies,"  1ft. 

Robin,  L'Abbo,  describes  Boston  in  1781, 
76 ;  customs  of  its  people,  77  ;  its  com 
merce,  78 ;  American  ideas  of  French 
men,  79. 


Robinson,  Mrs.  (Talvi),  329. 

Rochambeau,  Count,  arrives  at  Newport, 
R.  I.,  In  1780,  111 ;  his  "  Memolres,"  111; 
opinion  of  American  women,  112  ;  de 
scription  of  a  settlement,  112;  church 
and  state  in  America,  113  ;  popular  re 
spect  for  law,  113;  10  impressed  with  the 
patriotism  of  the  people,  114. 

Rochefoncault,  Duke  de  La,  visits 
America,  94  ;  his  minuteness  of  detail, 
95  ;  traits  of  American  character,  96. 

Rogers,  Major  Robert,  181  ;  his  opinion  of 
people  of  Rhode  Island,  181. 

Romances,  American  historical,  431. 

RuppiuB,()tto,  the  novels  of,  on  the  United 
States,  310. 

Rush,  Richard,  on  the  fall  of  tho  naval  su 
premacy  of  Great  Britain,  256. 

PABBATII,  strict  observance  "of  the,  in 

O     New  England,  178. 

Salvatore  Abbate  e  MiKllorl,  302. 

San  Domingo,  connection  of  Columbus 
with,  20. 

Kaxc-Weimar-Eisenac-h,  Bernhard,  Duko 
of,  his  "Travels  in  North  America,"  304. 

Scenery  and  local  features  of  America, 
writers  on  the,  434. 

Sclinff,  Dr.  Philip,  330  ;  his  "  Sketch  of  tho 
Political, Social,  and  Religious  Character 
of  the  United  States,"  330  ;  respect  for 
law  in  America,  332  ;  relation  of  Ameri 
ca  to  Europe,  333. 

Sobultz, Christian,  "Travels,"  806;  his  de 
scription  of  locomotive  facilities  in  the 
United  States  in  1807-'8,  300. 

Science,  American  writers  on  the  various 
branches  of,  435. 

Scotch  writers  on  America,  245. 

Seatsfleld,  Charles,  novels  of,  on  tho  Unit 
ed  States,  310. 

Sects,  religious,  writers  on,  in  America, 
426. 

Segur,  Count,  arrives  in  America  in  1783, 
115  ;  becomes  attached  to  the  Quakers 
of  Philadelphia,  116;  is  favorably  im 
pressed  with  the  American  people,  116  ; 
dines  with  Washington,  116  :  prophetic 
significance  of  his  observations  on  the 
future  of  America,  117  ;  his  remarks  on 
embarking  for  the  West  Indies,  117. 

Sicily,  ignorance  of  its  people  concerning 
America,  361. 

Slavery,  American,  Dickens's  remarks  on, 
201;  its  debasing  and  brutalizing  influ 
ence,  447. 

Srnibert,  the  painter,  embarks  for  Amer 
ica  with  Bishop  Berkeley,  IfiO  ;  paints 
portraits  of  Berkeley  and  his  family, 
100  ;  Horace  Walpole'l  opinion  of,  160  ; 
bis  contributions  to  art  in  New  England, 
160  ;  Berkeley's  lasting  regard  for.  101  ; 
notices  identity  of  race  between  Narra- 
ganset  Indians  and  Siberian  Tartars, 
167. 

Smith, .Captain  John,  his  explorations  iu 
America,  27;  his  writings  on  America, 
28. 

Smith,  Sydney,  hli  opinion  of  Henry  B. 
Fearon,  2(X). 

Kmytho,  J.  F.  D.,  his  "Tour in  the  United 


INDEX. 


459 


States  of  America,  188  ;  his  opinion  of 
Washington,  191  ;  views  of  Americans, 
192. 

Smythe,  Prof.,  remarks  on  the  collections 
of  Hakluyt  and  Purchas,  26. 

Society.  Northern  European  writers  on,  in 
the  United  States,  307. 

Southern  hate  of  New  England,  326. 

Southey,  Rebert,  his  opinion  of  Timothy 
Dwight's  "  Travel!*,"  392. 

Spanish  and  Portuguese  the  pioneers  in 
voyaging  westward,  21. 

Springrield,  Mass.,  account  of  the  first  set 
tlement  of,  29  ;  its  appearance  in  1645, 30. 

Statistical  works,  Ami-rican,  427. 

Stirling,  James,  "  Letters  from  the  Slave 
States,"  247  ;  respect  and  affection  due 
from  England  to  America,  250. 

Sumner,  Charles,  visited  by  John  G.  Kohl, 
325. 

Sweden,  writers  of,  on  America,  293  ;  colo 
ny  of,  on  the  Delaware,  297. 

TALLEYRAND,  his  opinion  of  Amer 
ican  backwoodsmen,  114. 

Theology,  writers  on,  in  America,  433. 

Times,  the  London,  its  inimical  spirit  to 
ward  America.  291:  Cobden's  opinion  of, 
291. 

Tocqueville,  Alexis  De,  sent  to  Amer 
ica  in  1830,  129  ;  his  "  Democracy  in 
America,"  130  ;  his  philosophical  view 
of  American  institutions,  132  ;  his  death, 
134  ;  notices  a  similarity  of  American 
tastes  and  habits,  whether  in  the  city  or 
the  wilderness,  136  ;  his  idea  of  State 
sovereignty,  13S  ;  considers  the  probable 
future  supremacy  of  America  and  Rus 
sia  over  each  haff  of  the  globe,  139  ;  on 
English  selfishness,  268  ;  remarks  on  re 
ligion  in  America,  270  ;  English  opinion 
of  his  writings  on  America,  272. 

Toleration  in  America  the  source  of  its 
attraction  to  foreign  exiles.  7. 

Travel,  books  of,  enduring  in  interest,  1  ; 
general  sameness  of  writings  of,in  Amer 
ica,  4 ;  miscellaneous  French  works  of, 
on  America,  146, 147. 

Trollope,  Anthony,  232;  his  "North 
America,"  232  ;  his  candor  as  a  writer, 
232  ;  his  ignorance  of  previous  writings 
on  America,  234  ;  his  egotism,  234  ;  im 
pressed  with  the  beauty  of  American 
scenery,  236  ;  education  and  labor  in  the 
United  States  and  England  contrasted, 
236  ;  dislikes  "  Young  America,"  238  ; 
American  women  met  in  public  convey 
ances,  239  :  spoiled  children,  239;  versa 
tility  of  the  Americans,  240  ;  mania  of 
Americans  for  travel,  241  ;  opinion  of 
the  rebellion,  241. 

Trollope,  Mrs.,  225  ;  her  <:  Domestic  Man 
ners  of  the  Americans,"  225  ;  her  pow- 
i-rs  of  observation,  225  ;  superficiality  of 
her  judgment,  226  ;  is  pleased  with 
American  scenerv,  228  ;  her  want  of 
di scrim i nation,  228. 

Tudor.  William,  "  Letters  from  the  East 
ern  States,"  412. 

Turrel,  Jane,  "An  Invitation  to  the  Coun 
try,"  33. 


UNION,  the  war  for  the,  changes  of 
opinion  wrought  by,  447  ;  its  influ 
ence  on  society,  448, 

United  States,  the  earliest  descriptions  and 
associations  connected  with  its  territory 
tinctured  with  tradition,  19  •  extent  of 
the,  276;  John  Bright  on  the  strength 
of  the  Government  of  the,  449. 

VAN  DER  DOCK'S  account  of  New 
Netherlands  in  1659,  27. 

Verrazzano,  338 ;  his  description  of  New 
York  Bay  in  1524,  338. 

Virginia,  the  name  given  to  the  Jamestown 
colony,  21;  provincial  egotism  of,  30; 
jouriH^  of  Marquis  de  Chastellux  into, 
68;  the  people  of,  described  by  Rev.  An 
drew  Burnaby,  173 ;  number  of  early 
descriptions  of,  o97  ;  its  associations, 
397. 

Volney,  C.  F.,work  of,  on  America,  97; 
his  earlv  passion  for  travel,  9S  ;  a  victim 
of  the  French  Revolution,  99  ;  his  phi 
losophy,  100;  dilliculties  as  an  emi 
grant,  101 ;  his  death,  101 ;  review  of 
his  life  and  writings,  102  ;  recollections 
of  by  Dr.  Francis  of  New  York,  105 ; 
his  visit  to  Warrentown,  105  ;  scientific 
vein  of  his  writings,  106. 

Voltaire,his  comparison  of  the  English,290. 

WAKEFIELD,  Priscilla,  her  com 
pilation  from  the  works  of 
early  writers  on  America,  215;  de 
scription  of  the  Palmetto  Royal, 
216;  number  of  inns  met  with  in 
America,  and  independence  of  inn 
keepers,  216. 

Walpole,  Horace,  his  opinion  of  Bishop 
Berkeley's  scheme,  158  ;  his  sketch  of 
Smibert,  the  painter,  160. 

Walsh,  Robert,  395  ;  his  "  Appeal,"  395. 

Wansey,  Henry,  194  ;  his  "  Excursion  to 
the  United  States,"  194  ;  breakfasts  with 
Washington  at  Philadelphia,  194  ;  his 
impressions  of  Washington,  194 ;  re 
marks  the  general  contentment  of  the 
people,  195  ;  journeys  through  New  En 
gland,  195;  meets  distinguished  persons 
at  New  York,  196. 

Washington,  George,  first  interview  of 
Marquis  do  Chastellux  with,  65  ;  takes 
leave  of  De  Chastellux  at  Newburgh,  74; 
described  by  De  Chactellux,  75  ;  visited 
by  Brissot  de  Warville  at  Mount  Ver- 
non,  85 ;  J.  F.  D.  Smythe's  opinion  of, 
191 ;  breakfasts  with  Henry  Wansey, 
194 :  his  opinion  of  Count  Adriani's 
book,  340 ;  a  glimpse  of  Connecticut, 
419  ;  visits  Boston,  421. 

Webster,  Daniel,  imperishability  of  the. 
record  of  his  eloquence,  429. 

Weld,  Isaac,  "Travels  in  America,"  207. 

Welsh,  the,  claim  to  be  early  explorers  ol 
America,  17. 

Western  travel  and  adventure,  books  of, 
422. 

Whcaton,  Henry,  "  History  of  the  North 
men,"  19. 

White,  Rev.  James,  on  British  prejudices. 
266. 


460 


INDEX. 


Wied,  Prince  Maximilian  von,  "Journey 
through*  America.'1  305. 

Williams,  Roger,  liberal  spirit  of,  168. 

Wilson,  Alexander,  199  ;  his  "  American 
Ornithology,"  199. 

Winterbotham,  his  authorities  in  compi 
ling  his  "  View  of  the  United  States,"  3. 

Wlnthrop,  John,  journal  of,  31 ;  on  the  de 
basement  of  the  poor  in  England,  282. 

Wirt,Wm.,  "Letters  of  a  British  Spy,"  412. 

Women,  American,  Anthony  Trollope's 
remarks  on,  239. 


Wood,  William,    "  New  England    Pros 
pect,"  32. 

VALE   College,  gifts  of  Bishop  Berke- 
1     ley  to,  167. 

yENGER,  John  P.,  printer  of  the  New 
Li    York    Weekly  Journal,  narrative  of 

his  trial  for  libel,  7. 

Zimmerman,  E.  A.  W.,  "France  and  it  D 
Free  States  of  North  America,"  306. 


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